


Dancing to Our Heart Song

by Yosakazure



Series: Dancing to Our Heart Song [1]
Category: Kingdom Hearts
Genre: "Dearly Beloved" Kingdom Hearts, Amnesia, Angst with a Happy Ending, Anxiety, Bathing/Washing, Boys Kissing, Coma, Dream Eater Riku, Dream Sex, Frottage, Frozen (Kingdom Hearts), Hand Jobs, Healing, Hurt/Comfort, Implied/Referenced Torture, M/M, Mild Sexual Content, Mild Smut, Nightmares, PTSD, Physical Therapy, Pirates of the Caribbean (Kingdom Hearts), Possible KH3 Spoilers, Pre-Re:Mind Release, Rough Kissing, Soriku - Freeform, severe injuries, temporary paralysis
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-12
Updated: 2020-08-01
Packaged: 2021-01-29 14:16:35
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Underage
Chapters: 62
Words: 319,765
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21411538
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Yosakazure/pseuds/Yosakazure
Summary: Sora dives through the darkness to find Kairi while Riku waits as a beacon to guide them home. Kairi makes it back, but tells Riku that Sora needs help! Riku braves the dark once again to save his best friend only to find he's been caught inside of another dastardly plot which has left him severely injured and seemingly paralyzed. As Sora struggles to overcome his trauma and regain his memory, he also struggles to regain his mobility. Riku vows to take care of Sora every step of the way, but once Sora hits a road block during his physical therapy, Riku knows he has to push Sora and help him in a way that only he can.
Relationships: Destiny Trio (friendship), Riku & Roxas (friendship), Riku/Sora (Kingdom Hearts), Sora & Roxas (friendship), Sora & Ventus (friendship), soriku - Relationship
Series: Dancing to Our Heart Song [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1859878
Comments: 270
Kudos: 259





	1. So Close and Yet so Far

**Author's Note:**

> So this is my first Soriku/KH fic (besides the one I have in progress) and the first fic I've written in YEARS, so please go easy on me. <3
> 
> The beginning three chapters or so are based off of a dream I had and I've clicked it together with another fic idea I've been sitting on. As the chapters progress, please keep an eye on the notes, as I will be listing suggestions for music to listen to as we get to certain scenes. They're all KH tunes, of course, and they're what inspired the rest of the fic. Feedback is appreciated. Thank you in advance for reading. I'm also new to this site, so if you have any suggestions for tags or notice something I did incorrectly, please feel free to let me know. Again, thank you very much and I hope you enjoy!
> 
> As for the violence tag, I wasn't sure what defines "Graphic Violence". I just know that realistically, getting whacked over and over with a blunt object such as a keyblade might be painful and could potentially break bones. And there might be splashes of blood here and there, but nothing super gory is in this fic. But just in case it does fall in that category, I put the warning. Better safe than sorry, right? So that's my little heads up. If you're still on the fence, go to the end of the notes for a little spoiler that might help you decide if this fic is okay for you.  

> 
> Fic Spoiler: Most of Sora's injuries are healed before he even wakes up in chapter 3. Later we find out the reason he can't walk is because a curse was put on his body to inhibit his movements and basically weaken him and his heart so the bad guys can swoop in and do what bad guys do. So physically, he's fiiiiiiine, just a lil cursed. Any chapters with potentially icky flashbacks to what Sora went through in chapter 2 will have a warning in the notes. Pinky swear. <3

How long have they been fighting for? Why does it feel like the events at the Keyblade Graveyard only happened yesterday and yet also feels like they've been fighting for ages?

Kairi had wandered on the edges of light and dark for only a short while before Sora had came to her rescue. Everything she had gone through since Ansem grabbed her had been a blur up until the moment she laid eyes on his face again, calling out to her from the eternal dark fog until there was nothing but Sora. So grabbing her hand and cheerily shouting, "Let's go!" was the only thing she remembered after existing in a non-existing haze for who knows how long since the Xehanort fight. Her hope and belief in Sora had come through and now like a dream, the two were fighting side by side through the darkness to get back home where they both belong.

But getting home seemed to be the hard part. The way Sora explained it, it should be like when they returned to the Keyblade Graveyard after the first round of the fight, when their hearts were torn away and Sora had to get them back. They should find the light and fly towards it. It should've been as simple as the first time. But then again, maybe the first time was TOO simple. It was obvious to her that the whole ordeal was planned for them from the start, but to what means, she still wasn't sure. She couldn't help but wonder that maybe...just maybe...Xehanort wanted Sora to think retrieving hearts was easy, so that he'd keep doing it, even when warned not to. At this thought, her heart felt heavy with guilt. If she was correct, she was being used yet again to bait Sora. But even if it is the truth, this time she can fight alongside and protect Sora. Together, they can thwart whatever dares to try and keep them from going home!

But again, it wasn't that simple. Riku's light shined the way for them, steadfast and true, never faltering. The two of them flew toward it over and over again, but something would block their path. Lichs would appear out of nowhere and in an attempt to steer Kairi to safety, they would fall off the path and into other strange realms, some of light, some of dark, and some inbetween. More often than not, they found themselves in a strange place where the heavens were decorated with the whitest, fluffiest clouds, and the ground was as smooth and clear as glass, reflecting the sky above, but rippled like water when they walked. She remembered them visiting this place several times, but her memory only lasts a few short seconds. It's almost like one moment they were there, then she blinks, and they're back on the path towards the light. Each time, she felt...heavier? Like she just awoke from a nap. And Sora wouldn't say much, just smile his reassuring smile, as he continued to guide them through the dark. But Kairi could sense something had worn him out, and whatever it was seemed to have pushed them back to where they started. The light always seems the same distance away from where they first started. It was almost like that beautiful world was some sort of weird reset button. But there would be plenty of time for questions when they got home. She needed to focus her energy on helping Sora! Besides the world of clouds, Kairi was helping Sora fight off the heartless and nobodies whenever they fell off the path, getting them back on track faster each time. They were becoming a very good team. They even made up some new moves to play off each other's strengths as they forced their way through the hordes so as to expend less energy. Through all of it, Kairi mused that their combined moves resembled dancing. As it turned out, she wasn't far off, because it just so happens Sora IS a good dancer. Who knew? In fact, the more time they spent navigating the darkness, the more she realized how much she DIDN'T know about Sora. It was strange that even though this adventure brought them together, it also broadcasted how far apart from each other they actually are.

But she keeps telling herself that it's all okay. It's going to be okay. They'll keep flying towards Riku's light where he'll be waiting for them on the island. They'll tell him all about their adventure. After a well-deserved rest, things can go back to they way they were. They can go back to living normal lives together, start going back to school, plan for their futures, enjoy the peace that they fought so hard to bring! They'll have all the time they need to catch up and make up for they time they had already lost. Not just that, but now they also have so many new friends to also share it with. It's going to be great!

She turned her head to smile at Sora, who sensed her looking at him and returned it with an even wider smile that made his eyes crinkle. She giggled and squeezed his hand gently. "We'll be home soon," he assured her.

"Yes. I can't wait. I could use a long, hot bath!"

"Food first, for me. I honestly don't even care what it is. Though...a burger would be nice. With a huge chocolate shake!"

"And then you'll hide somewhere to take a nap, I'm sure!"

"Haha, I think we both deserve a long nap," he yawned as if to iterate his point. "Riku, too. Who knows how long he's been waiting out there for us...he's not gonna be happy about how long we took."

"How long WE took? If I remember correctly, YOU'RE the one who's been leading us around!" she snerked, releasing his hand to give him a playful bop on the shoulder with her fist.

"Haha!! Okay okay, the blame's on me. But we're safe and sound and that's what counts."

"Hehe, you're right," she chuckled and reached to grasp his hand again. "Sora, thank you for coming after me."

"Of course. How could I not, Kairi? You mean the world to me, you AND Riku. I'd do anything for you."

"I know, that's what worries me!" she giggled. "After this, how about we all take it easy for a while? The three of us...we can take a vacation or something."

"Maybe hide on the island away from everybody for however long we want."

"Silly, I think that'd be the first place anybody would look if they wanted to find us."

"Good point. Guess we should buy our own secret island, then!"

"You're such a goof!" they broke into a fit of laughter, jokingly discussing any ridiculous names they could think of for their hide-a-way island, and then deciding what sort of contest they would inevitably hold between the three of them to decide who would actually get to name it in the end. As they laughed and joked, the end of their journey seemed just within reach.

But then just as they thought they could almost hear the seagulls in the distance, the air around them suddenly felt very cold. Riku's light still shone brightly, but they clearly were about to be greeted by some unpleasant company. Sora looked to Kairi, wordlessly asking her if she was up for it, that they can run again if they need to. She simply grinned and summoned her keyblade, taking an offensive stance and Sora nodded and followed suite. They hovered back to back, taking in their surroundings as they were suddenly flocked by lichs. Not just one or two, but easily 10 of them. They hadn't seen so many at once before. Clearly, the lichs didn't want them to leave. But why did they wait until they were so close to the light to gather their numbers like this? Sora's voice pulled her from her thoughts, though, as he called out, "Ready, Kairi?" over his shoulder to which she replied in kind, "Right! Let's do it!" Both heaved a battle cry as they rushed forward to fight what they hoped to be the last battle before they reach home. 

The two gave it their all, felling one Lich after another. But for every one they destroyed, another seemed to take its place, with more on the way. Kairi charged her keyblade with large ice spikes while Sora spun her around and around, essentially bludgeoning everything out of existence within a 7 foot radius. But even as they took out their surrounding foes, more just seemed to float into existence, now shooting blasts of fire and ice at them. Sora deflected most of the blasts for the two of them while Kairi worked on casting aero spells to aid his blind spots, sending the magic blasts back at their original casters so that they blew themselves up. When the magic ran out, the two combined their attacks and spun and danced through the air, not unlike ice skaters. Sora glided through the air on his keyblade while holding Kairi up above his head and spinning her while she tossed her keyblade like a boomerang. He rode his keyblade right through the enemy, knocking them back while her keyblade spun through and finished them off, returning to her hand effortlessly in time for Sora to toss her into the air where she did several backflips, and used the MP she stole from the fallen lich to cast small but deadly fireballs in all directions before gracefully landing back into Sora's waiting arms. As the finisher, both spun with their backs to each other, arms stretched up while both their keyblades spun together as if having their own waltz before jetting off in separate directions to take out any of the surviving enemy forces, showing absolutely no mercy as they plunged straight through them and back into their owners' hands.

At the end of the finisher, they spun around to face each other and give high-fives for a job well-done. But before they could even catch their breath, more had come! Kairi resumed her stance behind Sora and looked to his face. Upon seeing him unperterbed, she wiped the sweat from her brow and prepared to go again. Time for Round...4? 5? "HAAAAAAH!" they screamed in unison and charged into the fray once again.

It was exhausting but exhileration and adrenaline kept Kairi going. Sora had to do this all the time. Sora has had to fight thousands of enemies at once before. She had to do her best to keep up with him! She had to support him! They NEEDED each other. But as they fought on, Kairi could tell Sora was nearing his limit. In his fatigue, he started making more mistakes, and Kairi had to be on the ball and heal him. Luckily, the lich were dropping a lot of MP, but it was getting harder and harder to back up Sora when she was spending all of her time healing the both of them. They needed to switch strategies. Across from her, Sora seemed to be thinking the same thing and extended an arm towards Kairi, who automatically grabbed it. He pulled her close into a hug...very close! She felt her face getting red...surely this isn't the time for this! Through the din of the battle, she managed to hear him say, "Hold on tight!" and she complied, burying her face into his chest and keeping her arms firmly around him while keeping her keyblade securely gripped in her hand. A flash of light nearly blinded her and she pulled slightly away to see that Sora's clothes had changed! He was in his ultima form! She craned her head back in awe as Sora lifted the ultima sword above and more swords appeared, surrounding them in a tornado of blades that spun around them in a deadly whirlwind, keeping the lichs at bay autonomously. Something was wrong, though. Kairi pulled further back to see that they were getting more and more outnumbered. The horde almost completely blocking out the path to Riku's light.

"Sora..." she felt her voice quiver and her grip on Destiny's Embrace weaken. Was this it? As her courage faltered, she felt her keyblade disappear from her hand.

"It's going to be okay, Kairi," Sora used his now free hands to hug Kairi close. "We don't have much time. If we don't run now, we'll never make it out of here. But our best chance is if you go first. I'll hold them off and distract them and you make a break for it. Once you're safely through, I'll come after you."

A surge of panic flooded Kairi's heart. His words sounded strategic but his actions made it seem like he was saying good-bye! "NO!" she cried and desperately grabbed the front of his shirt in both hands so tightly that she even grabbed his crown necklace which bit into her palm, but she didn't dare adjust her grip. "I won't leave you! I can't go back without you again!" This was it, she was genuinely terrified that Sora won't make it out. For all the faith and belief in him, this seemed like the limit. His gentle blue eyes looked into hers, as if silently pleading to listen and to believe in him just one more time and she felt tears clog her throat as she felt horrible for losing faith but at the same time can't shake off the dread that this might really be it and to let him go would mean she would never see him again.

Despite his silent plea, she swallowed back her tears, and though quaking, she firmly and softly said, "I w-won't..."

Sora doesn't look mad, but he sighs and gently proceeds to pry Kairi's fingers off of his lapels. "I promise, I'll be right behind you." One finger, two fingers... "We're going home together, but you need to go first." Four, five. Only one hand left. "You're so strong, Kairi." One hand lingers on hers, only clutching with thumb and forefinger while the other hand rests gently on her cheek. "I believe in you. You'll only be alone for a moment. Trust me..." Both hands are off his jacket and gently clasped in his warm ones. "BUT YOU NEED TO GO NOW!!" He grabs for one of her arms with both hands!

"NO, WAIT!!" She rips her lucky charm from her pouch and stuffs it into one of his pockets with her free hand while Sora whips her around and around by her other arm and JETTISONS HER toward the light...and rather unceremoniously, at that. She rockets through the wall of Lich, flying through the darkness at breakneck speed. Tears stung her eyes as she managed to turn her head to look behind her to discover she isn't even being followed. Sora seemed to be holding them off okay, but he spent the longevity of his Ultima Form coaxing Kairi to let him send her to safety. Time had run out and another flash of light signaled that Sora was back to his normal form, now fighting even more lich all alone. The lich engulfed him in what felt like less than half a second and before Kairi could even call out to him, she felt her voice catch in her throat. Despite her careening towards the light, the closest she's ever been, she felt colder than ever, like a cold snap just hit the air all around her. She looked towards the light to make sure it was still there and then looked back to see an orange explosion suddenly pierce through the lichs. Black tentacles from an unknown source ripped through their ranks, tearing them completely apart one by one. With the numbers thinned out, Kairi's eyes searched desperately for Sora in their midst, but what she saw instead was a shadowy black figure, who looked like a silhouette of Sora, with glowing orange eyes and tendrils of darkness exuding from his form, almost like a thick black smoke.

It was horrifying to behold, the Sora-like creature letting out silent screams that seemed to shake everything around it while it raised its arms in the air to charge another spikey orange sphere to attack with. It was all happening so fast, was that really Sora? She had never seen this form before. But just when it seemed he was coming out ahead, more lichs appeared out of nowhere, as if summoned, and grabbed him by his limbs, completely burying him in darkness. Now no longer trailing behind Kairi, Sora was instead falling deeper into the neverending void; he was getting left behind! "SORA!! SORAAAA!!!" Kairi screamed frantically, but she couldn't turn around, it was like swimming against a current, the light pulling her against her will, until she was completely out of the dive. Still screaming Sora's name with a blood-curdling screech, she was now falling like a meteor down towards the ocean, arms still reaching and grabbing fruitlessly at the sky as she descended, crying and begging for Sora to be alright until she at last she fell into the ocean's warm depths.


	2. Chains of Heart, Linked Connections

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kairi made it back in one piece, but Sora was left behind! Kairi begs Riku to go find him, and he doesn't need to be told twice! As he rushes to Sora's rescue, he encounters an old foe and a new foe. Both have been torturing Sora, but for what? A mysterious man seems to want Sora's heart for himself, but somehow it's locked tight and Sora doesn't know how or who has the key...or does he?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sure there will be a lot of questions after this chapter, but I promise all will be revealed as the story progresses. <3

Riku had been waiting at the shore for two months now. Every night when he got a chance, he would camp out on the beach, sometimes with Mickey or some friends, and just sit and wait and call out to Sora with all his heart, hoping to be a beacon that could guide Sora home when he was ready to come back. There was no doubt in his mind that Sora would find Kairi, but finding his way out would probably be tricky. It was the only thing he could think of that would be of any use. So every night, he sat, waited, called out with his heart, and kept it open to listen for any signs of Sora's return. He'd wait at sunset and wake at sunrise, the times when light and darkness touched. Today, Lea and King Mickey were his companions. Riku had called for them urgently. Something told him today was going to be the day. He felt a reaching for his heart, a voice he hadn't heard since Sora left. Today was the day, he was sure of it. 

"Aaaaand why did you call for me again?" the red-head asked while kicking some sand out of his boots.

"I told you," Riku huffed impatiently. "I had a bad feeling, like I will need back-up. Besides, Lea, you're quick to think on your feet, especially in an emergency. Plus, you and Kairi have gotten close during your days training together. Couldn't hurt to have another heart to guide her and Sora home."

Lea was a little embarrassed, but clearly flattered. Plus, he never passes up a chance to make a campfire. They gathered the logs and the sun hadn't even started to go down yet when Riku felt an aching stab through his heart and immediately turned to look up at the sky. Lea turned to look too, and spotted a figure falling through the clouds first, "LOOK! UP THERE!" and that's when all three of them heard the earth-shattering scream that made their hearts fall into their stomachs. Something was VERY very wrong.

"It's Kairi!" Riku exclaimed, sprinting to the edge of the shore. Kairi was a long ways off from where he and Sora landed last time. He wasn't even sure how well she could swim!

"She's way off course!" Lea cried out. "I thought she'd fall this direction if we--And where's Sora??"

Mickey wasted no time in casting Blizzagun, creating a trail of ice along the ocean straight for Kairi's location and Riku hopped on, using flow-motion to reach her. He glided along the ice, bending to make himself as small and aerodynamic as possible, anything to reach her any faster! As he approached, he struggled to keep her in his sight as the salty air blowing through his face made his eyes water. A wave interrupted his course and he flew through the air, just in time to watch as Kairi plunged rather ungracefully into the water. "HANG ON, KAIRI!" he shouted as he dived in after her, swimming down a few feet before grabbing her hand quickly and pulling her up for air. Almost immediately she began to cry and scream and struggle, "SORA!! SORA!!!" Riku squeezed her tightly around the shoulders with one arm until her struggling stopped. "You're okay! You're okay, I got you!" he soothed until she calmed down enough for him to find a way to get her back to shore quickly. A large chunk of the ice track floated past him, which he grabbed, and hopped on to use it as a makeshift surfboard to get her to shore. Once on shore, coughing and sputtering, Kairi managed to choke out, "Riku! It's Sora! You have to go after him! He's in trouble!!"

Mickey looked up at the portal that Kairi fell from and cast STOPZA to keep it from closing. "We don't have much time. If you're going to go, you'll need to make it fast! I'll do my best to keep it open so you can come back the way you came! If you take too long, you'll have to find another exit, and who knows if there will be one!"

"Got it! Lea, look after Kairi for me!"

"Wait, wait, you can't go in there alone! Whatever nabbed Sora must be incredibly strong! And who knows if he's even in the same spot Kairi left him! How will you find him in time?" Lea protested, even as he supported Kairi on his shoulder.

"Wait, Riku! I left my lucky charm with Sora. Use it and your heart to find Sora, and after that, it'll light your way back home. But please be careful! There were so many of them, but there was someone else there, too. I think I heard a familiar voice, like one of the bad guys. Just grab Sora and get back here as fast as you can!" Kairi pleaded.

"Alright, I'll be right back. Hang in there, Mickey. I'll be back as fast as I can!" Riku hurried and aimed his keyblade toward the portal, disappearing from the beach in a flash of light.

The dive through the darkness seemed pretty straightforward, it was almost too quiet. Where was Sora? "Come on, Sora, where are you? Please let me know you're alright!" He called out with all his heart, letting it guide him as he dove deeper and deeper through the dark void. The darkness was so deep it was almost suffocating. He legitimately found it getting harder and harder to breathe. Maybe it was because of adrenaline, the speed from which he was diving, fear for Sora, or the stench of darkness really was beginning to choke him. But then he felt it, a sharp pain in his heart, through the dream eater link he shared with Sora. He was definitely in trouble. He concentrated on the link to get a grasp of Sora's condition, to prepare for the fight that awaits him. It was faint, but he could hear voices. One was definitely Sora's, one sounded very familiar, like Kairi said, and another he didn't recognize. The harder he listened to the link, the more pain prickled his body, as if he were being jabbed all over with needles. Sora must've been in agony! What did these people want with him now?

"I'm going to ask you one more time..." Whoever the stranger was, he sounded like he was getting impatient.

"I told you, I don't know!" Sora's voice!

"I bet it was that girl. You shouldn't have let her go!"

"Relaaaaaaax, I know it's not her. I'd wager money on it!" The familiar voice...a greasy, slimy individual...Xigbar! But he should be...? Has he been recompleted already and come back to cause more trouble?

"Eh, I'd rather it be dinner, an EXPENSIVE ONE when I'm proven right! He wouldn't dive blindly through the darkness for just anybody, surely!"

"Heh, actually--"

"No, you're right. He totally would, wouldn't he?"

"Uh-huh."

"Dammit!"

A grunt of pain from Sora, and Riku feels a phantom pain in his cheek. He grit his teeth as he continued to navigate through the darkness, the voices getting louder and clearer as he feels like he's getting closer. He can almost see the fuzzy images of the scene playing in his mind through the bond he had with Sora, almost like he was witnessing a bad dream play out from the sidelines.

"No problem," the stranger had begun to pace slowly back and forth in front of Sora, who Riku couldn't see just yet, but he could feel him all the same. "We'll just have to kill all your friends one by one until your heart is free!" He almost sounded giddy!

"Sounds like too much work to me. This kid's heart has connected with probably hundreds by now. And even if you narrowed it down to just those with keyblades, that's a lot of potential candidates."

"We'll just have to start with our best guesses, then. Or we can pick off the weaker ones until Kiddo here spills the beans!"

"There's an idea!"

"There's no point!! Even if I knew what was going on, there's nothing I can do about it!" Suddenly there was a loud THWUMP and Riku felt a little dizzy. The scene in his mind got all warbled and fuzzy, like a TV losing antennae signal, until he couldn't get anything from the link anymore.

He didn't even dare turn his head to make sure the portal was still open behind him. All of his focus was spent on calling out for Sora. Then finally, after some of the most agonizing couple of minutes in his life, a pinprick of light could be seen in the dark. "Sora!" Riku exclaimed, his hopes soaring as he dived faster than he's ever dived, "Sora, I'm coming!!" he called into the dark, his keyblade at the ready. And then, a familiar place came into view, The World That Never Was. Time for a super hero landing! "SORAAAA!!"

He landed smack in the middle of one of the castle's abandoned chambers, unlike the rest of the castle with its gleaming white walls, this one was in a state of disrepair, or had recently been destroyed. As Riku got to his feet, he quickly assumed it was the latter of the two. But there was no time to investigate, because right in front of him a horrific scene was unfolding and he clearly interrupted. In a split second, his eyes saw enough that he roared, "STOPGA!" to freeze everything in its tracks. There was just so much...so much...he used a lot of magic, but he saw no other choice, considering what he just arrived to. One figure cloaked in black (because of course he was) stood with what looked like Xehanort's keyblade pointing at Sora, chained up and on his knees, his head wrenched back by his hair caught in Xigbar's clutches. The top half of Sora's clothes were in tatters, but barely any skin could be seen as he was soaked in his own blood, which also seemed to be all over the walls and floor. Just when it couldn't possibly be any worse, it appeared that Sora's heart was in the middle of being extracted, but it was wrapped in glowing silver and gold chains, all locked up tight with a visible keyhole in the center. What was all of this!? What are they doing to Sora? What should he do?? A distant ticking in his ears warned him the magic was about to wear off. His time magic just wasn't as strong as Mickey's! With a deep breath, he tossed an elixir at Sora with one hand while readying his keyblade in the other, ready to fight as the last tick rang and the chaos began.

Time picked up again, and it even seemed way too fast. The elixir splashed all over Sora, and he seemed to recover a fair amount, the fight returning to him as he screamed and fought against his bindings and against the fist clutching tight onto his hair. "Riku!!!" Sora managed to cry out between his roars of desperation. He couldn't even really see what was going on, his hair stuck over one of his eyes from a bleeding head wound that now closed thanks to the elixir. Even so, he could feel it, his best friend was here! Just from the keyblade master's presence alone, he felt a new strength flood into his heart, and it glowed in kind, which seemed to amuse the one in the cloak. "Not one more step. The boy's heart is mine and if you dare come closer, I'll stomp it out of existence before your very eyes!" he threatened, not even turning to look at Riku, his keyblade poised on Sora's heart which continued to glow all the brighter. With a hard cough and another unsuccessful tug from Xigbar's grip, Sora sputtered hoarsely, but with deep resolution, "I told you...I don't know who has the key or who locked it or how! All I know is no matter what, it will never be yours!"

"And I already told YOU that as cute as that is, your heart belongs to you, so you can choose where it goes and...whether or not it has locks on it...I think. Now you either be a good boy, give it to me willingly, and I'll make your end painless, or I'll wrench it from your flayed body and leave what's left of you here with your little friend. Now what's it going to be?!"

"I told you!! Even if I entertained the idea, I can't--"

"Or how about the third option?" Riku interrupted. "You let him go and I'll tear the two of you apart!"

Xigbar smirked, "Don't you mean OR?"

"No." Riku deadpanned.

Finally, the hooded figure turned its head to look at Riku. There was a silent pause...and then..."Wait, which party pooper are you again?"

"That's the boyfriend!" Xigbar cackled. "Try to keep up! Remember what I told you about their Mastery Exam? These two are bound at the hip!"

"Enough! Let Sora go! I'm warning you!" Riku demanded, poised to attack, keyblade ready to strike in one hand and his other fist glowing with a charged up Dark Firaga. He had to be careful, one false move and who knows what could happen to Sora's exposed heart? These two clearly had the upper hand and were trying to rile him up so he'd make a mistake. They've barely even acknowledged his arrival, like they either expected him or just didn't care. No matter what, he wasn't going to let them get under his skin. All that matters is getting Sora out safely. The elixir was enough to patch him up a bit, but it was clear to see he's in no condition to help fight once he was freed.

Seemingly ignoring him, the other turned his head candidly to look back at Xigbar, "They're close, you say? Exactly how close, I wonder?" Beneath his hood, dark eyes glanced down at Sora, who feebly continued to struggle, and then down at his heart still suspended in the air between them. It continued to pulse with a quiet fury, ever glowing, and steadfastly bound and protected with the ethereal chains wrapped around it. Then, he tossed the quickest of sideways glances at Riku, before lurching forward and grabbing one of the silver lengths of chain in his gloved fist, earning a gasp from Sora AND Riku, who both clearly felt something from the action. Then, with a firm tug, the other end of the chain's length came into being, snaking its way through the air as link after link appeared until it formed a very clear connection to Riku's chest...to Riku's own heart. The revelation made Riku's heart stop and his breath catch in his throat. It was almost as if somebody cast time magic again. He...he had the key to Sora's heart? They were linked together--wait, he kinda knew that part already. But wait, is this guy implying that he, Riku, has some kind of ownership over Sora's heart? Has Sora literally given his heart to Riku?? This is crazy, well, most of it. Now is not the time to question the logic of two clearly deranged psychopaths who have just beaten his best friend within an inch of his life. Though, even as he tried to refocus his concentration, his heart began pounding louder and louder in his ears and he began glaring daggers into Xigbar's face.

"HAHA! Of course! I knew it!" Xigbar cackled and forced Sora's head to turn to look at Riku while the other silently cursed that he lost the bet. "Just take a gander at how they look at each other, and it's clear as day! Our golden boy here couldn't have been more obvious!" he snickered as Sora's gaze dropped to the floor, clearly amused at the whole situation. "Aw, don't be embarrassed, kiddo. It might even have been a good plan...but he just couldn't keep himself away, could he?" he said the last part mockingly with a kissy face voice as he squished Sora's cheeks in his grip, forcing his lips to pucker out. "So now we gotta get rid of him, too. And then maybe your heart will be free to give away again. Maybe to somebody who will put it to good use and keep it nice and safe," the sniper leaned in real close to Sora's face with a sneer, "I...heh, of course I mean WE, would happily volunteer."

The exchange earned a chuckle from Mr. Cloak who seemed to be playing cat's cradle with the chains attached to Sora's heart, "I dunno if he's embarrassed or just losing consciousness."

That tears it! Riku raised his arm and shot a dark firaga blast at the cloaked figure, who let out a squeal while he dodged to the side. "ARE YOU CRAZY!?" the man screamed almost comically, dropping his keyblade on the floor and releasing his grip on Sora's heart which quickly retreats back into the teen's body.

"Oh, you made him mad~" Xigbar taunted, hand still on Sora's face, who by now has also had enough and spits a giant loogy right into his captor's unpatched eye. "UGH!! YOU LITTLE--"

"Sora!" Riku zipped into action, bringing his keyblade down on the shackles at lightning speed, obliterating them into dust.

"Curaga!" Sora shouted, as soon as his hands were free, holding Ultima above his head as the flowery spell helped return feeling back to his limbs. While he took a second to recover, Riku was already coming back around ready to aim his second swipe at Xigbar who disappeared in a flash only to reappear on the ceiling, hanging upside down with the two in his sights, ready to rain bullets down on them.

"Don't let them get away!" the figure called out to Xigbar, taking shelter on the far side of the room so as not to get caught in the crossfire. "If I'm late to my dinner plans, I'll be very upset!"

"As you wish, Master!" Xigbar acknowledged and loaded his arms with both weapons before showering them with magic bullets. Purple and crystal-like, they pierced the air as they zipped toward their target. But Riku was ready! He'd seen this song and dance before and was prepared with a dark barrier. He shielded the two of them while Sora struggled to get upright, and wordlessly, together, they summoned their ultimate keyblade! Forged in their dreams and a true representation of their bond and combined strength, two keyblades of gold and dark metals with corresponding colored glass fused into one, and with a roar, both brought it down, slicing through the air with pure devastation as it split the room and seemingly the fabric of time and space right down the middle, blowing away their enemies and opening a path for their escape. Once the keyblade disappeared, they saw they clearly made a giant hole into the side of the abandoned castle and Xigbar and his companion were nowhere to be seen. It was probably too much to hope that they sent them spiraling off the edge of the world, though, so Riku decided they had better get moving fast. He turned to Sora who had already begun to collapse back to the floor.

Riku quickly scooped him up, "You can't rest yet, pal. Don't worry, I got you!" he propped him, having him lean on one side and supported him with left arm while he used the other to summon his keyblade. He could see it, the portal was still open! They have a clear shot! His keyblade glowed and they shot up through the air, barreling towards the light at the end of the darkness, where home awaited them.


	3. Summer Nights, Dreamy Lights

Sora was fading in and out of consciousness. He was in a lot of pain and felt so sick to his stomach. The only thing keeping him grounded was Riku's voice and he used what remaining strength he had in his right arm to hold onto him. Despite his current state, he could very much make out the worry radiating off of Riku and how it choked the man's usually calm voice. "I'm okay...I'm alright...I'm okay...mokay...I'm okay..." he kept muttering over and over, both in an attempt to ease Riku's worries AND to keep himself awake. He had to keep his eyes closed, however, what little he could see from beneath his blood-soaked hair was almost blinding him. He felt their feet leave the ground, he felt the familiar whoosh of air fly through his hair and tattered clothing, and could see the light even through his closed eyelids. He began to feel unsteady and swung his other arm to fully embrace Riku, embracing him with all that he had left. He knew Riku wouldn't drop him, but maybe he just really wanted nothing more than to hold onto him. Another different sort of wind rushed through his ears, almost roaring to the point that he could barely make out Riku's voice. The burst of warmth that overwhelmed his body and the scent of the ocean told him they had just exited the sleeping realm and were now hurdling towards their home.

We're home!

That was one of the last thoughts to cross Sora's mind just as he felt one of Riku's hands cradle his head just before they landed in the ocean and he finally lost consciousness.

. . .

In the days and weeks that followed, any brief waking moments Sora could remember were filled with pain and then quickly followed up with merciful sleep. He mostly dreamt of the beach. Nothing but him lying in the sand and listening to the waves while the gentle waves came up and wet his toes every now and again. Occassionally a dark cloud would break the peaceful monotony and in moments the skies would fill with lightning and he would hear those awful voices of Xigbar and the mysterious man cackle instead of what would normally be thunder. Sometimes he even saw the ocean turn black and they would rise out of the ocean, their black robes dripping wet and their faces completely hidden under their hoods, resembling harbringers of death much more than any other enemy he's faced. But just as quickly as these black clouds and apparitions came, Riku would fall from the sky and make quick work of everything and the peaceful beach scene would return. It took a couple of instances of this before Sora put two and two together...Riku was still his dream eater and he was still looking out for him as he slept. The fourth time it happened, he ran and grabbed his best friend by the wrist and begged him not to go, finally feeling lucid for the first time in who knows how long. "Riku! It is you, isn't it? It's really you? Please stay! Just for a little longer!"

The supposed dream Riku did stop and blinked at Sora in surprise, as if caught off guard by the fact that Sora could even interact with him at all. "Wait, you can see me?"

"It IS you, Riku!" Sora shouted with joy and tackled his best friend who landed on his back with an OOF into the sand, completely forgetting about the threat that Riku extinguished not just moments ago. "You're here as my dream eater, right?"

The flustered silver-haired teen mentally flailed for a second before sighing and returning the embrace with a grin. "Yes, it's me. Took you long enough to catch on."

Sora couldn't help but giggle, further burrowing his face into Riku's chest as he continued to hold him tightly. "I...I have so many questions..." he started, but then he felt tears begin to strangle his throat, "I...I missed you."

Riku caught on right away, but he wasn't sure what to say, exactly. Instead he opted for running a hand through Sora's hair and sure enough he felt his shirt begin to dampen as Sora allowed his tears to flow. "I've missed you too, Sora. I'm sorry we couldn't have interacted sooner. It's just...well, there's a lot that needed to be done and I didn't want to overwhelm you right away. We all thought you deserved a rest."

Sora supposed he should let Riku up now, but decided to be selfish for a little longer, even as the tide threatened to drench poor Riku as it inched closer and closer. He didn't want Riku to see him crying, even though he probably already knew. He swallowed the last of his tears and tried to speak normally, "How long have I been asleep?"

Riku winced at the question, "Hmmm...almost a month, I think? We tried waking you up within the first week but you were still in a lot of pain. It didn't seem fair to let you suffer when we could just let you sleep peacefully. Plus, it made everything a little easier."

Sora finally sat up and gave Riku a hand to pull him up into a sitting position as well. "Easier?"

"You were hurt really bad. Everybody came by and contributed potions and we've been casting healing spells around the clock, but as Merlin told us, your sort of injuries would take a lot of time to heal completely. So until then, you would need to hold still so that...well...even if you weren't in a lot of pain, I think you would've gone nuts if you weren't able to move."

"You make it sound like I broke a lot of bones or something!" Sora chuckled but then looked at Riku who just turned his head to stare at the sand and he felt like something heavy just landed in his stomach. "Wait...it was that bad?"

"Well what's important is that you're on the mend. In fact, we're waking you up tomorrow and your parents are going to take you to the doctor to get a set of x-rays to make sure everything is okay! Not that we don't trust Merlin and Yen Sid, but your mom reeeeeally wanted the word of an actual doctor and not a wizard," Riku chuckled.

"So where have I been this whole time? Am I in a hospital?"

"You're at my place, actually. When you and I got back, we hurried to my place first and Mickey insisted we call Merlin over and he kinda swooped in and used his magic to turn one of the rooms into a huge hospital room. I guess you'll see it when you wake up, but it was crazy, let me tell you. We didn't really tell your parents until after...well...after you were cleaned up a bit. And then when they came, they agreed it was probably best to not move you. I'm just glad they trusted us to look after you."

"Yeah, well mom always thought you were the more reliable one," Sora snickered. "Did Kairi make it back okay? How is she doing?"

"She arrived just fine, just very tired and with minor scrapes. She insisted on looking after you first thing, but we sent her home to get her own rest first. Since then, naturally she's been helping out, too." Riku paused thoughtfully and rested a hand on Sora's shoulder, giving it a gentle squeeze. "You did good, Sora. Everyone is back and where they belong. Namine even has a body now. Everybody's so grateful to you. They're all dying to see you as soon as you're well again."

"I'm glad...I'm really looking forward to it," Sora smiled broadly. But even as he smiled, he felt another stone of dread land in his stomach. What if he didn't like what he saw when he woke up? He never really paid attention to his injuries during the struggle except when he knew he couldn't wait any longer to cast a cure spell or down a potion. And then even after he was restrained he couldn't see very well and by that point everything hurt regardless. He was afraid to even ask the question. Fear clenched his throat, forcing him to swallow before he attempted to speak again. But just as he opened his mouth, Riku took his hand off of Sora's shoulder and instead used it to slowly pull him into a tight one-armed hug. But it was all too much and yet not enough for Sora, who felt himself choking on held-back sobs again as he scooted sideways into Riku's lap and rested his head against the other teen's chest, the one-armed hug further strengthening into a full embrace that held him tightly. He sobbed quietly (he hoped), feeling the weight of Riku's head settle on top of his own while the silver-haired teen continued to silently hold him.

Sora's ear was pressed against Riku's chest and it wasn't too long before he found himself straining to listen for his heartbeat over the sound of the ocean's waves. But this is Riku's dream eater form, so instead he heard a different sort of quiet rhythm, or rather a soft tune that he quickly recognized, his soft crying slowly ceasing as he felt his own heart begin to sing along. "I...I'm so happy you're here. I really did miss you...even before all of this...I just kept thinking about how badly I wanted to go back home with you."

"I'm here now. And I always will be here for you," Riku murmured as if sharing a special secret only meant for Sora's ears. He gently pulled back just enough to use his thumb to brush away the tears from Sora's cheeks, the gesture making the heat rise in the brunette's face. "I'm not leaving your side until you're ready, I promise," Riku vowed before resting his forehead against Sora's in warm assurance.

The stones in Sora's stomach were gone, but now he was filled with butterflies. He was almost lightheaded with happiness. The promise was so Riku but also so incredibly endearing that he felt a tiny part of him wonder if maybe there was a tiny chance it meant something more. That fleeting fancy, however, sparked a feeling...a memory...and not a good one. He suddenly felt really cold as the warm happy feelings were replaced with a sense of dread. The keybearer suddenly found it hard to breathe as he remembered the cloaked stranger's keyblade penetrate his chest and drag his heart out. He remembered the chains, the shouts of frustration, the threats, the pain...and Riku! And something Xigbar said...oh no...oh no no no no...

He looked pulled back to look at Riku better, but the keyblade master was already studying his face, no doubt he noticed the sudden change in Sora's demeanor. "What is it?" he asked.

Sora swallowed hard yet again and mentally braced himself as he searched for the nerve to ask his next question, not even realizing how tightly he's been clutching Riku's jacket in his clenched fists. "Do you remember anything Xigbar had said?"

Riku's brow furrowed and seemed to take a moment to choose his words carefully before he answered, "Yes. It sounded like the two of them wanted your heart, but they couldn't get to it...it was being protected."

"Right...well...it seems I've somehow made you a target as well. I'm so sorry. I didn't know--I mean, I kinda knew...but not really...more like I FELT...but I also wasn't sure....and I mean...you've already done so much for me, and I'm sure I don't even know the half of it. So I feel awful that you've been dragged into this...not that I even know what it is!" he sputtered and rambled, panic forcing him to jumble up whatever he was trying to express. For the first time ever, he found himself unable to actually express what he's feeling or figure out WHAT he's feeling. Suddenly these emotions stirring through his heart have become very complicated and it's throwing him for a loop!

"Whoa whoa, slow down!" Riku chuckled and playfully booped Sora's snoot. "Even if I wasn't added as a target, I wouldn't let you face this new enemy alone anyway, so don't worry about that part. Second..." he glanced sideways at the sand for a second before letting out a small, wistful sigh and looking back at Sora, "You're my best friend and even that feels like an understatement after all we've been through together. So of course our hearts are deeply connected in some way. I don't think that's really a surprise for either of us." He smirked as he continued to study Sora's reddening face, but a little pink seems to be threatening to appear on his cheeks as well. "That being said...are you perhaps embarrassed that he called me your boyfriend?"

So Riku heard that too...his addled brains didn't make that part up. He felt himself sputtering and searching for more words. Why was this such a hard thing to talk about? Why can't he laugh it off like the situation PROBABLY calls for? But what if Riku really did like him? Or what if he really did like Riku like that? It wouldn't be right to just wave it off! Plus, embarrassed doesn't seem to be the right word...but what is? "I...I...hm..." he crossed his arms and turned to the side thoughtfully. "More liiiiike...it felt intrusive." He nodded in self-assurance. Yes, good, keep going! "I mean of course I'd never be embarrassed to call you my boyfriend." Yes! Good job! "In fact, I'd be very happy! Haha!" TOO MUCH!

"Wait, you would?" Riku blinked, clearly attempting to keep as straight a face as possible, but unable to hold back the red slowly creeping onto his cheeks.

"Er...I mean..."

SHIT SHIT SHIT!

"Yes...?"

"Look, I wasn't embarrassed. If anything...I felt like my feelings were being trespassed on...or maybe it was OUR feelings. None of us have even had time to think or talk or anything about stuff like that. It's like you said, we KNOW we mean a lot to each other...we'd do anything for each other. But it's not like we have a label for what that kind of relationship is...if it even needs one. But because of all of THIS..." he flailed his arms in the air vaguely, seemingly indicating all the chaos that's surrounded them in the past couple of years, "I don't think I've even had the chance to sit down and THINK about you know...BEING anything like that with anybody...at least not really. So for him to assume and slap a label on our bond and then MOCK us and then threaten to hurt us with it...I felt violated...more so than I already was." He then scooted out of Riku's lap to reclaim his seat next to him, pulling his knees up to his chest and resting his chin on them to look back out at the ocean. "Maybe I'm overthinking it...he was probably just saying that to try and get under my skin or something. Am I making any sense?"

"Well...I mean...that was a whirlwind. You're going to have to give me a second to unpack all of that." Riku chuckled and nudged Sora's shoulder playfully with his fist, nearly toppling the other teen over.

Sora lost his grip on his knees but braced himself on his hand to keep from falling over and sat up straight again, giggling as he returned the shove, "Come on, I'm being serious!"

The shove barely moved Riku, but he was laughing anyway, reaching down to remove his shoes so his feet can feel the rising water that's been threatening to graze them this entire time. "I know you are. And I'm seriously thinking about what you said." He too began to gaze thoughtfully at the horizon. "You're right, it has been hard to think about anything besides the fight we've been preparing for. We've all been robbed of time that should've been spent doing...well...whatever it is that normal teenagers do. It's time that should've been enjoyed with our friends and loved ones while we learned about ourselves and about what we might want to do with our lives, whether that be learning a new hobby, pulling stupid stunts, dating and maybe getting married, thinking about a career, whatever! I don't think any of us regret the choices we made, but we all made our own sacrifices in the name of fighting for peace. I guess I see what you're feeling...is that one of the people responsible for our struggles was mocking you with what you feel like you might've sacrificed or given up on or maybe...not even think you had a chance at getting? And...did it make you angry?" Riku turned his head to look back at Sora, trying to gage whether his interpretation was correct.

"You're right...it made me angry. I still am angry." Sora felt like his whole entire being was trembling and reached to put his right hand over his own heart in an effort to steady himself. "My heart is strong but I don't think I've used my heart in regards to myself before, you know? I'm always following my heart so I can help others. Even in the sleeping realms, I chased dreams while following it, even though it lead me to a deep sleep that you had to rescue me from. It didn't necessarily aide MY well-being, but I was able to discover connections that aided us in finding everybody else later." He felt this painful bit of insight stab him in the heart and he grit his teeth in aggravation. He growled and snatched a few rocks from the sand in his fist before jumping to his feet. "URGH! Even though I've been asleep for this long, I STILL haven't used this time to think with my heart and figure out what I want or what I should do next...FOR ME!"

Riku was slightly alarmed by this sudden outburst, but he remained seated and calmly asked, "Well, what DO you want? Or...is there something you want for yourself but haven't had the time to consider it?"

Sora began pacing a short trek back and forth on the shoreline, kicking up water as he ran the pebbles he grabbed over and over in his hands. "Yes...I think. But I'm not sure if it's because I want it THAT badly or because I feel pressured to?"

"I can see why you'd be confused. You've been unfairly put under pressure for a lot of things. You've always come through, however, so...what sort of pressure are you feeling that's causing you to hold back? What's making you doubt yourself?" Riku asked gently and slowly. Sora's seemingly becoming distressed, but he needs to try and help him sort out what he's feeling in any way he can or this will just continue to eat him up inside. Hugs are great, but this situation called for suggestive guiding words and encouragement if there ever was one. Who better to help Sora sort the jumbled feelings and questions plaguing his heart than the one who knew him best?

"I was afraid...I am afraid...I-I've never been this close to...I mean...we all were, even Kairi...Actually, I should say ESPECIALLY Kairi..." Sora started off strong but broke down into mumbling, his body now visibly shaking as he ceased his pacing and fumbled more and more with the stones in his hands.

The keyblade master felt he was on eggshells now. He suddenly found he too was afraid...afraid of whatever had Sora so afraid. This wasn't like him at all. He knew he had to ask the question, but he wasn't sure he wanted the answer. "Afraid of what?"

Sora looked down at the smooth black pebbles in his hands and stared hard for what felt like an eternity. 1, 2, 3, 4...8 pebbles. "Dying...death...Even if we lost the fight, there could be hope that we could live and fight another day. But dying...even before, I never felt that fear, not even before this fight, not until the day of rest we all had before we left for the Keyblade Graveyard." He looked up and the sun seemed to be slowly setting, the blue sky gradually gaining an orange hue. This was weird, though, he doesn't remember the sun setting at all since he's been asleep. "Remember that sunset, you were alone on the beach? Kairi and I were on the paopu tree..."

Riku swallowed hard but tried to keep his voice calm, "Yes...I saw you two up there but I had some thoughts I needed to sort out. I wasn't really paying attention."

Sora took one of the pebbles out of his hand and held it up to the sun, rolling it between his thumb and index fingers, "I was wondering about you...but she thrust a paopu fruit at me." His voice trembled slightly, tears leaking from his eyes and slowly made their way down his face as he continued fiddling with the rock, as if the rock held the memory he was describing.

Despite the wrenching feeling in his gut, Riku was about to say congratulations to his friend but stopped as he saw the tears roll down Sora's face, glinting as they caught the sunlight and dropped to join salty waters at their feet. Confusion and concern was now plastered all over his face. He's seen the drawing in the cave...why this reaction?

"I was so caught off guard. I thought...maybe a couple of years ago I thought that this was what I wanted. But I didn't picture it happening like this. It felt wrong. Even if I was sure that I wanted to share a paopu with her, I know I wouldn't have wanted it to happen this way. S-she was smiling, said the fight was going to be our toughest yet, that it would be lucky for us. Don't you see? She was terrified! She only shared that paopu with me because she was afraid she was going to die, that we'd never get a chance to...I dunno...do it for real! ARGH!!!!" He winded his arm back and chucked the pebble out into the ocean as far as he could and it disappeared into the glittering horizon. "It made me think, you know? Like...what if we did die? I hadn't had time to consider my feelings for Kairi or anybody in a long while...but now what if I'm only misleading my own feelings because I don't know how much time I have left? She's my friend too, but I don't know if my feelings for her are any stronger than say...I dunno...how I feel about Donald and Goofy? Wait...that sounds weird...I don't mean it like that. I mean...I fear for my mortality now and now I'm scared that if I listen to my heart now, it's going to be swayed by this fear and that I won't be able to trust my feelings at face value anymore."

Riku wanted to ask what the big hurry was to figure it out NOW but he realized these recent events...Kairi disappearing, Sora almost getting killed...even if they ended up winning the battle in the end, these events have probably further cemented his fears and newfound anxiety about his mortality. Now he was getting even more worried about Sora's well-being, not just physically but emotionally. Even if they healed his body all they can, they still can't rest easy until Sora wakes up and they see the full extent of his progress. If he wakes up and he ends up being crippled regardless, how would Sora take it, given the current emotional tornado that he's caught in now? It probably is best to tackle this sooner rather than later. In the realm of dreams, time flows differently. Riku can spend as much time as Sora needs to help him figure this out, or so he hopes. "I think, Sora, if you felt you were ready to dedicate your feelings to Kairi in a way that was more than your current friendship, you wouldn't be doubting yourself as much as you are right now. People and relationships change and just because you entertained the idea in the past doesn't mean you're obligated to fulfill it in the present just because the potential opportunity has presented itself. It doesn't mean you care for her any less, just that you really care about her in a different way. But you also shouldn't pressure yourself to overanalyze these things because of what happened. Go with the flow and continue to trust your heart...and yes, for yourself. I'm giving you permission to be selfish." He ended that sentence in an attempt to be lighthearted, expecting Sora to laugh and say something snarky in rebuttal but the younger teen stayed silent for a moment, picking another pebble out of the pile still clutched in his other hand. "Alright, try this...if you were to be completely selfish for once, as in do whatever or say whatever it is your heart truly desires FOR YOU, what would that be?"

The brunette looked up and over at Riku, pointing to himself, "For me?"

"Yes, Sora." Riku stood up and poked Sora's chest right over his heart for emphasis. "For. You." Poke poke. "Come on, I know you can do it. Be honest, forget all other burdens and pressures and whatever for a moment and look really deep into your heart and spill it. What does Sora want?"

Sora looked into Riku's teal eyes that seemed to glow with the setting sun's light reflecting in them. His serious but soft gaze calming him enough to actually do what he was suggesting. This felt a little weird, playing a selfish act, but he trusted Riku and trusted that he's asking him this because he thinks it will help. He put his hand back over his heart, and closed his eyes, nibbling on his lower lip a little, worried about what his heart might tell him. What DID he want most? In his most selfish of desires what came to mind first? He already closed eyelids squinted as he thought really hard, searching and identifying the rawest and most basic feelings that were most prominent in his heart at this very moment. Pain and hurt were definitely in there, but lately it's felt like they're always there, ever present as part of the mantle he's had to carry as a keyblade wielder. But what about now? What about this present moment? What feelings are the most prominent NOW as he currently stands here breathing with the warmth of the setting sun beaming on his left side, the warm ocean waters lapping at his feet beneath him, and in the presence of his most precious friend who stands in front of him? He feels safe, calm, warm, wanted, valued, fondness, grounded, yet almost lighter, in a way? The hurt's presence is still there, but this other feeling makes him feel like the burden is lighter. It was as if the fear of being overwhelmed was nonexistent, that as long as he believed in this other feeling, he could weather anything. It was a little harder to place a name for this feeling. Even broken down to its rawest form, Sora realized it's because there are many types of this same feeling. Something so complex and yet so simple can only be one thing. He smiled to himself and finally asked that feeling...what does he want? He knows he wants more of this feeling, and he knows what form of it he wants, but where does it come from?

His eyebrows furrowed together as his heart rapidly searched through his memories and the bonds he has with everybody he knows, trying to remember where this precious feeling comes from the most. Flashes of memories pass in front of his eyes, his heart searching every one for a match to the one feeling he desires the most. He sees his mother kissing him good night, his father carrying him on his shoulders to help him retrieve his kite from a tree...No...not quite. He recalls a cool metallic object being pressed into his palm and a promise that went with it. A cry for help, _"Can I stay with you?"_, a new warm presence. No...not that one. A box full of shiny shells and pretty stones. Sword fights on the beach. Selphie telling him the legend of the paopu fruit for the billionth time. Hmm...getting close. "_When we grow up, let's leave this island. We'll have real adventures, not this kid stuff."_ Haha, be careful what you wish for. "_I'll always be around to protect you."_ Wait... _"__Sora, don't ever change."_ Hmm...no..._"Deal? Winner gets to share the paopu with Kairi!"_ Jealousy? That's not the feeling I'm looking for. But wait, who was I feeling jealous about?_"We make a great team, Sora!"_ His head was starting to hurt._"Let's promise to always be together! In exchange, here, have this! As long as you have this, remember that I'll always be around to protect you!"_ THAT! THERE IT IS! Falling stars, crashing waves, fear, but comfort too. But they were just kids then. Things change...is there anything else? He could hear their heart song quietly playing in his ears, the soft music enveloping him but also gently tugging at the corners of his mind, as if trying to guide him. He let his mind go and allowed himself to sink into the song produced by their hearts, bound but free to sing. He sees something in the haze of non-thoughts, something fuzzy, a blur of colors that he could never hope to interpret any discernable image from, but it undoubtedly had a presence, and a strong-rooted one at that. The more he focused on it, the bolder the colors became, but still just as messy as an abstract watercolor painting, but he could start to make out a voice.

_"Sora, do you remember who your special someone is? The one you actually made that promise to?"_

Then another one, a voice he knew very well. It was Riku's!

_"Whatever it takes. I'll do anything. Anything to wake him up...Even if it changes me forever."_

_"I want to be strong, to protect what matters!"_

_"I have a promise to keep to someone very imporant to me."_

_"Are you mad that I'm keeping your friend away from you?"_  
_"No, I guess I'm just sad."_

But Riku's familiar voice was swept away by a flurry of others in rapid-fire succession! 

_"Anna! You sacrificed yourself to save me?"_  
_"Of course. I love you!"_

_"My guess is nobody has ever loved you before. Because you know NOTHING about hearts and love."_

_"What would I give to live where you are? What would I pay to stay here beside you? What would I do to see you smiling at me?"_

_"Rapunzel...you were my new dream."_  
_"And you were mine..."_

_"Tadashi's here, in Baymax and in all of us. He will always be a part of us in some way."_

_"There's always enough time for hearts to say what's true. Sora, you know that better than anyone. It only takes a moment to connect with your mates. With your hearties."_

He knew what he wanted now more than ever. In his deepest of "selfish" desires, it was love, but not just any love. The love shared between Eugene and Rapunzel, Ariel and Eric, Mulan and Shang, Elizabeth and Will...he wanted THAT kind of connection more than anything.

In fact, he might already have it...if only...

The blood suddenly rushing to his face as he finally realized what he desired most snapped him out of his deep thoughts and he opened his eyes to see that the sun had completely set and the night sky was now bedazzled with thousands of stars shimmering and glinting in every direction as far as the eye can see without a cloud in sight. In front of him, Riku still stood patiently, but now leaning on his good side with his arms lazily crossed.

"Sorry, I guess it took me a minute to think about it," Sora chuckled sheepishly, rubbing the back of his head with his free hand.

"No big deal. Though to be honest I was beginning to wonder if you put yourself in a self-induced second sleep to avoid answering the question," the silver-haired teen teased. "Any longer, however, and I would've picked you up and chucked you into the ocean!"

"Glad I figured it out in time, then," Sora pouted and stuck his tongue out at the older male.

"Did you now? Well let's hear it."

Oh gosh, this might be even harder to say out loud than it was to figure out, but Riku's waited for this long, it wouldn't be fair to hold out any longer. Besides, he trusted his best friend, trusted their bond. He knew no matter what he said now that they'll always be friends and all the stronger for it...after he finishes laughing...IF he laughs. He won't laugh. Nah. Not Riku. Hopefully...

"Urgh...uh...um...I don't know which one I want to tell first!!"

"Does...it matter?"

"Yes! I think...I mean, I know you said be selfish, but I feel like how it's delivered may cross the line between being selfish and just being a jerk and I dunno how to avoid that!"

Riku laughs and sighs, his mirth echoing off the stone walls of the otherwise empty island. "Then I guess we'll have to remove personal responsibility from the equation." He looks around on the ground briefly before finding half of a scalloped shell, about the size of a silver dollar. "This'll work," he mused, grabbing a thick black marker from inside his pants pocket and popping the cap off prepared to write. "Give me a letter relevant to each desire, I'll write them on either side of the shell and we'll flip to see which you talk about first. No matter how bad they sound, you'll be free from fault."

"Easy enough...um...H and L," Sora decided, now fiddling with his little pebbles more than ever. This is probably the most brain-wrenching dream he's ever had after the Mark of Master Exam, of course. He's almost amazed he hasn't already woken up from the stress alone.

"Alright, here we go. No holding back after this!" And with that, he flipped the shell high into the air and let it land on the ground.

Sora closed his eyes. "I can't look, I can't look! What is it?"

"A purple sea urchin with tentacles..." Riku deadpanned.

Sora eyes burst open, "What, really???"

"No! It's H! Dummy."

"Hurr hurr, you're so funny. It's a dream, I would believe anything at this point! Anyway..." he paused and took a deep breath, staring at his rock-filled palm one more time before looking back at Riku again, who was already shooting him a small smile of encouragement, which he returned. "I...know as friends we're stronger when we rely on each other, that when one lacks strength the other will make up the difference...and I know that I've said we should share our burdens and not do too much on our own. But I've held something back from the keyblade graveyard battle. Something happened that only I remember...and maybe Kairi remembers, but I'm not sure and I don't really want to ever ask her. I said I would carry all the hurt, but it's been too much. I need to tell somebody because I think it also fuels the fear I now have about this new enemy that's shown up. It's a fear so intense that for once I worry about ME doing something stupid to protect everybody again and for once it might not even be the best choice and I don't want that happening, but if I'm scared enough I may throw any little inkling of caution I might have to the wind. But if somebody else knows, they could keep me grounded...and I think that person should be you, Riku."

"Of course. Anything to help keep you here with us, Sora. Because if you think I'm letting you jump alone into another portal to who knows where to do all of that stuff again, you have another thing coming. But I do wonder...what on earth could have happened that would make you admit that you might ACTUALLY make a rash decision?" he teased.

"Hardy har. Maybe I'm finally growing up. Pretty soon you'll have to be catching up to ME. Haha!"

"Haaaaaaa, maybe. So what's the big secret?"

Sora's face turned serious and Riku's matched it. Wordlessly, they both sat down in the sand and Sora placed the pebbles down one by one and began recounting the events of their first attempt at battling the first of the 13 darknesses, each stone representing one of their numbers. By now, Sora had fiddled with them so much that they were no longer black, the excess grime completely rubbed off to reveal pretty stones, white and translucent in color that dimly caught the light of the moon so that they appeared to glow in the sand while Sora gave a play by play of their demise. He struggled the most describing Riku's sacrifice but continued to describe the final world, the stars that resided there, a creature named Chirithy who nudged him along, and how young Xehanort said that he was already a lost cause and that there was no saving him and he had no idea what that could've meant but now he feels like he knew he would go after Kairi and counted on him being lost forever. But something still wasn't adding up and now that he was back, he worries that it has something to do with the new threat.

Once he was done, Riku reached out and held Sora's hands in his own. "So that made Kairi's disappearance even more traumatizing for you, I'm sure. You already did so much to bring us back and then she got taken away again and only you knew what had to be done to get her back so that's why you wanted to go alone."

Sora nodded, idly running his thumb over Riku's. "As much as I would've loved having you come with me...I knew what awaited me and how risky it was and I just got you out of there too. I couldn't live with myself if I somehow lost you, too. It was better for me to go alone...you mean more to me than anything in the world and I'd sooner leave this world than live in it without you." He sniffled and freed one of his hands from Riku's gentle grasp to wipe his tears on the back of his arm.

"Oh Sora...I...let's...let's just make sure nothing like this ever happens again. From now on we stick together, deal? I don't think I can sit on the sidelines ever again after what's happened. I can't exist here without you, either. If we fail, I want us to go down together. Besides, together we're unstoppable anyway, remember?"

Sora sniffled deeply, "You're right. *sniff* Of course. It's a deal." He suddenly found himself laughing wetly, "I know it's morbid, but you've also made me so happy. Eh-heh!" He ran a finger under his nose to catch one last sniffle. "So I guess this leads into L. I think I'm more nervous about this one, to be honest." His cheeks grew pink again.

The sight wasn't lost on Riku and his racing heart clued him in that his suspicions might be correct. Sora was in love with someone...someone that might not be Kairi.

"Riku, I...I'm in love with...someone," Sora found himself unable to get the words out. He felt like the string of words just wouldn't form in his mouth. HIS COURAGE WAS FADING FAST! MAYBE THIS WAS A BAD IDEA!!

Riku was silently freaking out as well, but he was better at hiding it than Sora. He opted to put on his irritated-but-not-really face, "What, you want me to guess?"

_YESSS!!_ Sora nodded!

"Alright!" he let go of Sora's hands to rub his chin in thought. If Sora was going to draw it out like this, he wasn't going to make it easy on him either. He glanced down at the pretty stones that were still laid out in formation on the patch of sand in between them. "Would the person be represented by one of these stones?"

"Uh..." Sora looked over them quickly. "Yeah!"

"Okay, well you already tossed Kairi into the ocean, so it's not her."

"Oh yeah, I guess I did." Sora looked down at the sand, feeling a little guilty about the stone he launched into the depths and instead represented her with a piece of palm leaf for story time which had already blown away. Damn, Riku sure was observant!

Riku shoved three other stones aside. "And it's not Donald, Goofy, or Mickey...I would hope."

That comment made Sora roll his eyes, "Of course not."

Clearly enjoying this too much, Riku picked up Lea's stone. "Do you think Lea's cute?"

Sora rapidly shook his head no. "I mean, he's nice and everything, I guess. But between you and me, I think he's into Saix."

"Isa."

"Gesundheit?"

"No, I mean his real name is Isa. You know, his somebody name."

"Ohhhhh. Gotcha."

He picked up Aqua's stone next. "Ah, it's clear to me now. You're not into Kairi because you're actually into older women. It's Aqua, isn't it?"

Sora's face turned SCARLET at the implication and snatched the stone from Riku to toss it into the ocean with Kairi. "Come on, Riku!"

Riku was almost ROLLING on the sand with laughter at this point. "W-what? I mean she hasn't aged at all while she was in the dark realm, she looks good for her age! No shame at all!"

"Yes, she's pretty, but I barely know her! And isn't she like twice our age at this point? Isn't that a bit much?"

"Okay, okay. So then it must beeeeeeeeeee...Ventus!"

Sora gave Riku the most DONE look ever. "Really?"

"Well who else could it possibly be?"

"YOU, you dummy!" Sora practically screeched before rushing forward to full-on tackle Riku!

"AAH!!" Riku got the wind knocked out of him mid-laugh as he felt his whole body get shoved back into the sand. He hadn't even had time to react to Sora's confession as now they were both wrestling in the sand, each trying to top the other. "Who're you calling the dummy??" he breathlessly retorted, gripping Sora's shoulders to roll himself on top.

"You! Did you really think I would pick anybody else?" the brunette growled back, struggling to free one leg to swing it over and scoop Riku by his non-injured him and push him back into the ground, once again gaining the high ground.

"Oh come on! Ten minutes ago you were struggling to figure it out for yourself!" Riku sputtered, using his strong arms to force himself into a sitting up position, pushing Sora backwards and then proceeding to plunge his fingers under Sora's shirt to tickle him relentlessly while Sora's legs still clung on either side of his hips for dear life.

"AHAHAAHAHAH!!! NO NO NO NO!! NAAAAH!!! NAOOOOO!!! I KNEW I KNEW! I-I ALWAYS KNEW! STOPPIT!!!" Sora screamed and laughed hysterically while he desperately gripped Riku's wrists and tried to push them away but to no avail!

Surprisingly, especially to Sora, Riku DID stop. In fact, he completely stopped as if in shock and so suddenly that Sora was still pushing against him only to send himself flying forward and Riku back onto his back as the silver-haired teen had seemingly gone limp. They now landed with Sora still on top, knees on either side of Riku's hips, still gripping his wrists now resting near both sides of Riku's head, and had only gained enough control of their momentum at the last second that kept Sora from bashing his face into Riku's, his nose barely hovering a couple of centimeters above Riku's. And this is the way they awkwardly stayed for several long seconds, both huffing and puffing, Sora still not gathering enough sense to let go of Riku's wrists yet, both of them covered in sand, and both just losing themselves in each others eyes. The longer Sora stared into Riku's eyes, the more he noticed the stars from above reflecting in them along with his own reflection. As he struggled to catch his breath and gazed at his own tiny reflection in Riku's eyes, he finally allowed himself to wonder...what did Riku think about HIM? What was he to Riku? It was just then that he noticed how alluring the rest of Riku looked. His partially parted lips looked beautiful and inviting even as the silver-haired teen panted, his cheeks flush with color and his broad, chiseled chest heaving against his own. He wanted so badly to lower his own lips just that little bit further down to sample those lips, even just a little, but he knew he shouldn't. He had to ask Riku first...speaking of which, he still seemed to be in a daze. He wasn't even struggling, and his eyes were starting to look a little different...were they turning pink???

"Riku? Are you okay?" Sora finally asked. This seemed to snap Riku out of it, but he still made no effort to pull himself free from Sora's grasp.

"Y-yeah. I'm fine. I just...what do you mean you always knew? Do you really mean that?"

It was Sora's turn to be taken aback. He released Riku's wrists and opted to straighten up so his full weight would no longer be on top of the other teen. "I did. I mean, I do. I guess we've always been together, I took it for granted? I always knew what we had was special, I just didn't know WHAT it was we had. And I guess...I thought maybe it would've sounded weird to you if I ever bothered asking about it."

"I guess I can't fault you for thinking that way. I don't think I would've had a good answer if you had asked me back then anyway. But what I do know is that I've always felt the same way too. But wow, you really were clueless. Here I was worried the whole time that I was being too obvious. I even thought you just simply weren't interested and started keeping a little more to myself."

"Oh, is that why? I just thought you were cranky from going through puberty!" Sora snickered with a big shit-eating grin.

"HA!" Riku finally sat up and shoved Sora rather unceremoniously onto his back. "At least I've gone through puberty. Dunno if I can say the same for you, half-pint."

"HEY! Well...maybe I don't want to be a hulking beast like you!" he sputtered, finally disentangling their limbs and scuttling backwards away from Riku, scooting along the sand on his butt.

Riku only grinned deviously and started crawling towards Sora on all fours, "You think I'm a beast, huh?"

Sora kept crab-walking/butt-scooting away from Riku, his clumsy desperate attempts to stand failing as he kept slipping back down in the wet, squishy sand, unable to use his hands to right himself up as he kept sinking whenever he tried. Instead all he could opt for as Riku nearly had him trapped against the rising tide was scurrying to the left down the shore line but Riku was so fast that he soon found himself trapped against one of the stone walls. "I didn't say that!"

Riku gained up on him, finally pinning Sora against the wall with his own body and trapping him with one arm on either side of him, ready to spring into another tickle attack at any moment! "Ah-ah, Sora, you know what happens when you lie~," he chided, slipping an index finger back down under the bottom of Sora's shirt to gently graze the bare skin of his stomach. Quite a threatening gesture indeed! One that threatened another onslaught of fingers but also made the brunette's skin erupt with goosebumps and a strange shiver go up his spine. Even the barest touches from Riku have made Sora feel extremely ticklish but having not been tickled in so long, this time it brought some other feeling with it...one that began to make his pants start to feel uncomfortably tight as Riku seemingly doesn't notice as continues to torture him with a single finger. He's begun edging closer and closer to Sora's navel, the one spot he knows will make Sora howl for mercy.

"Unh...mm...fine, yes, I said it. You're a beast," Sora trembled, afraid to squirm away because the other hand still has him cornered and he knows where that hand will go next if he tries to make a run for it. He's played this game with Riku way too many times before. He's like a tickling spider! Once in his web, there's no escape!

"What kind of beast?" Riku goaded. This was just too much fun. He hadn't tortured Sora like this since they were little. It was a lot of fun back then because he would use it as a means to hug Sora whenever he wanted, even after he said they were too big for little kid stuff, and if Sora ever managed to escape before being forced to surrender, he would reward him with small gifts like pretty shells and stones. As a result, Sora soon became pretty fast and really good at hiding, but he didn't mind because that just meant he could give him more presents and be rewarded with his smile. And if Riku did win, he got to enjoy the rough-housing and bear hugs and getting Sora to say pretty much whatever he wanted. That was pretty great, too. He wondered if Sora remembered all of that too? With an evil grin, he ghosted his fingertip just below Sora's belly button. "Tell me, what kind of beast am I?"

No no no no no, Riku wouldn't dare!!! No...he definitely would. "No no no, please! Don't do it! You know what that does to me!! You're my dream eater, you're supposed to protect me!"

"But a second ago, it sure sounded like you were asking me to be your boyfriend. Which is it?" Riku teased.

"Both! Both! Do you want to be my boyfriend, Riku?" Sora blurted desperately without thinking...not that he really had to think about it. But this was certainly the weirdest time to ask that he could ever dream of.

"Only if...you tell me what kind of beast I am~" Riku further teased, now millimeters away from the dreaded destination. Of course the answer is yes, but this was too funny. He had to know what kind of beast Sora was talking about.

"Um...er...fine, you're a sexy, sexy beast! Pleeeeeease let me go!"

"See, was that so hard?" Riku smirked and pulled his hand out from under Sora's shirt and used it to gently grasp the brunette's chin and pull him into a soft kiss. He kept his lips pressed against Sora's for what seemed like an eternity. Though they were barely touching, the both of them felt like the heat of a thousand suns was building up between them and continued to linger long after Riku finally pulled away. "And of course, my answer is yes...to both." He smiled warmly, brushing his thumb over Sora's cheek with the most feather light of touches that just added to the fire that Sora knew was starting in his face, first on his lips and now on his cheek. It was all almost too much!

Where do they even go from here? Sora didn't even know what to say, but he felt like his heart was about to burst with happiness, that was for certain. "Riku...I...gosh, I'm...so happy, I don't even know what to say."

"I am too, Sora. Maybe that's all we really need to say."

"I think you're right." Sora beamed at the older male, feeling a strange sense of pride in that even though Riku's trying to look like he's all composed and cool, his face was just as pink as Sora's and his eyes were beginning to match the flowers that dotted the island.

Time seemed to stand still in that moment. Riku almost couldn't believe any of this was happening. Yeah, this was all happening in Sora's dream, but their feelings were still real and he wanted to take in every detail of this moment and remember it for the rest of his life. The moon and stars' glittering reflections on the ocean, the soft waves rising and crashing gently around them, his arms now pulling Sora in for a full-frontal cuddle as he buried his nose into his hair to inhale and memorize his sweet scent. It was all so perfect.

Sora was almost convinced that this was no longer a dream and that he had actually died and went to heaven, and if so, this wouldn't be bad at all. He closed his eyes and melted into Riku's strong embrace, the warmth of their bodies shielding them from the ocean's cooling breeze. He almost wished it could last forever, but he was also too excited to see what their future would bring. Whatever awaited them, he knew for now on they'd face it all together, no matter what. And speaking of which, he remembered there was one last thing he needed to tell Riku.

"Riku, I almost forgot, there's one more thing I think you should know."

"Yeah, and what's that?"

"I--Wait, where are you going?" Sora suddenly felt himself fall through Riku and back on the sand. He then began floating in the air, though clearly struggling and flailing to get back to Sora even as his body became more and more transparent. "What's going on?" Sora cried out as he desperately reached for him, a loud voice echoing through the sky. He could see Riku's mouth moving, but no sound came out. Was somebody trying to wake Riku up? The realization almost made him cry again for some reason. Sure, he knows he'll be able to see Riku again, but when? And even if he knew, it didn't seem soon enough and he still didn't get to tell him about the other thing! "RIKU!!! RIKU!!" he screamed toward the sky as every trace of his dream eater boyfriend disappeared amongst the stars. "IF YOU CAN STILL HEAR ME, I NEED TO TELL YOU--


	4. Fair Maiden's Blessing, Sleeping Angel Stirring

"Riku...Riku..." Kairi stood over the sleeping teen who had fallen asleep with his body halfway draped over Sora's bed again. It was his turn to keep watch again but he seemed to refuse to sleep in the spare cot that they've put in the room. She hated waking him, knowing he was probably visiting Sora's dreams again, but he had asked her to wake him up early so he could fly to his next mission on time. "Come on, Riku! Remember, you have a mission!" she started physically shaking his shoulder and noticed as he began to stir awake, Sora's brows seemed to furrow briefly. "I'm sorry, boys, but you did tell me to wake you."

Riku grumbled incoherently and struggled to wipe the sleep from his eyes while also a attempting a full stretch and spine pop. "Bad timing...sorry. Thanks for waking me. Did you sleep okay?" Riku asked as he rose from the chair and stretched a little bit more, thumping his clothes in an attempt to get the wrinkles out since he didn't bother changing into pajamas.

Kairi smiled and shook her head as she watched him try to gather himself, busying herself with helping him gather his things from the room to put in his traveling bag. "I did. Xion and Namine are coming over today to help me out too. So don't you worry about a thing while you're gone. Sora won't be happy if he comes back to find out you've hurt yourself because you tried to rush through your missions."

"I know, I know, you're right," Riku mumbled good-naturedly and caught a look at his face in the mirror, noticeably grimacing at his appearance.

Kairi noticed this and giggled, grabbing a clean cloth and rinsing it under cold water in the sink Merlin installed in the bedroom before handing it to Riku. "Here, this will help." He thanked her and gently scrubbed the remains of sleep off his face and even ran it over his hair a few times, getting it just damp enough that the bed hair disappeared and returned to its normal shape. Kairi was a little envious of how the boys could just do that and have their hair look perfectly fine with little to no effort. "You looked a little rough, there. Did he have a lot of nightmares this time?"

Riku had sat back down to put his boots on and glanced over at Sora, who continued to sleep soundly. The room that Merlin installed into Riku's house was very spacious and allowed for a decent-sized adjustable hospital bed as well as a sink area, extra bathroom, plenty of storage for potions and medical supplies, and of course chairs for visitors. After which, the rest of the keybearers and friends donated a TV and some old video game consoles to serve as entertainment for when they came to visit and take turns watching over Sora, as well as many books to read to him. Other than a few homey touches here and there, the room was very sterile-looking, with sleek linoleum floors for easy clean up, adjustable lighting, and otherwise stainless steel or granite surfaces for easy clean-up. One heart-rate monitor was hooked up to Sora to warn them if his condition suddenly takes a turn. Thankfully, nothing serious has happened yet, but when his heart rate begins to quicken, they know he's either trying to wake up or he's having a bad dream and they have to rush in put him back to sleep or call Riku to calm him down. If a dream disturbs him enough, Sora WILL awaken and so far both instances haven't been pretty. In fact they were downright traumatic for all involved, so the monitor and its beeping had become very necessary. For now, Sora slept peacefully, his head barely poking out from beneath his blankets as it was a little cold last night. "It was the usual suspects. This time they looked like creatures from that one movie...like Swamp Thing? Or the Ring? All creepy and crawling out of the water? It was pretty weird. But he saw me this time. We did a lot of talking."

"Did you really? How is he? Is he mad we've kept him asleep this long?" Kairi asked while she started turning down Sora's sheets and began checking his bandages underneath the white pajama robe they've kept him dressed in. At first they dressed him in normal jammies, but it soon became a pain getting him undressed and dressed whenever they needed to assess the current state of his injuries and since the idea was to move him as little as possible, they opted for a robe that just opened and closed and wrapped around him. Sure enough, dark stains on the bandages indicated it was time to change them out again.

"I don't think so, but I know he doesn't fully understand the extent of what's been going on. I didn't want to overwhelm him with too much information. Plus, could you imagine how he'd feel if he KNEW what we do for him every day? I don't think he'd be able to look us in the face for a loooong time."

Kairi had gloves on and a retrieved a metal cannister from one of the cabinets. As she placed it on the bed, it sprung to live and opened itself, ready to work. She began unraveling the bandages around Sora's arms first, revealing that they were stained black. It almost looked like Sora was swimming around in an oil spill and upon closer inspection, the black substance looked like it was alive as it seemingly moved along the fibers of the bandages. Each one she unraveled, she lowered into the magical cannister and it devoured them greedily, successfully erasing them from existence so whatever it was that kept oozing from Sora's wounds couldn't possibly contaminate or hurt others. None of them even knew for sure what it was but Kairi, Ienzo, Ansem, and Merlin have made it their mission to study it and have taken extensive notes on Sora's progress so they could learn to treat it should it ever affect somebody else in the future. "You're right. I suppose if I knew my friends had to do all of this stuff for me every day I'd might be a little embarrassed...or definitely feel overwhelmed. I'd be happy that my friends cared enough to look after me, but I also don't know how I'd ever return the favor." She giggled. "I mean, I can think of a few ways Sora can return the favor, but I see what you mean."

Riku laughed, "Pizza party?"

"Pizza party!" Kairi chimed and laughed again. "I will accept no other forms of payment."

"Sounds like a plan. In the meantime, I'll pick up more supplies from Merlin and Yen Sid on my way back. You should have until then, I hope."

Riku observed the bandages and frowned. Sora's healing has made great progress, but some of the wounds are closing much slower than the rest of them. Kairi saw Riku's face and smiled at him reassuringly. "It looks like alot in the bandages, but look, the wound looks smaller! HEAL!" she waved her hand over the arm she unwrapped and sure enough, the gash on Sora's forearm that initially took up half its length was now half as large as before. "The bandages have been pulling the icky stuff out of his system and trapping it there, so as long as they're doing their job, we can continue to make progress on the ones that haven't been closing up. I think we only have to worry if it stops working, otherwise we'll just have to think of something else." Riku didn't seem to be cheering up after this demonstration, though. "Is there something else wrong, Riku?"

"I told Sora he'd be awake by today, but I don't think that's going to happen. I don't see use feasibly going to the doctor to get his x-rays done if he's still covered in this many bandages. It'll raise too many questions from the doctor," Riku worried.

"Don't worry, Riku. I...I'm sure Sora doesn't have a good grasp of time right now. I don't think he'll even notice," she mused while she grabbed another set of fresh bandages and began re-wrapping Sora's arm.

"Even so, I feel like I've lied to him..." he mumbled, glancing over at Sora's sleeping face and reaching to run a hand through the spiky locks.

"You didn't, Riku. It's not your fault. If he does notice, you can tell him what happened when you get back. I'm sure he'll understand. Besides, I don't think it'll be more than a couple of days. We all just got excited. I'll have to tell his mother so she can reschedule the appointment, too." The red-head looked up, not entirely sure her words were reaching the other teen as his gaze was still fixated on Sora's face. "Hmm..."

Riku finally looked up, "What?"

"Did something else happen, Riku? You just look a little shaken up."

"Um, well, I mean...I don't think it's worth talking about until Sora wakes up. I think he'd prefer it that way," Riku explained, though he was clearly a little flustered.

"Okay," Kairi nodded, deciding better than to push it. "Well, you should get going, right?"

Riku glanced back at Sora, clearly having second thoughts about leaving him, but then again this always happens. "You sure you're going to be okay?"

Kairi laughed and started gently shoving Riku towards the door. "Just get going already. The sooner you leave, the sooner you can get back, right? I promise, I'll call you if anything comes up."

"Alright, alright, I'm going," Riku turned at the door frame and gently pat the top of Kairi's head. "Thanks, Kairi. I'll text you when I land. Look out for each other."

"We will, Riku. And be safe. We'll be here when you get back." She walked him the rest of the way out and waved him off until she could no longer see him as he made his way to where the gummi ship was hidden. It was still semi-dark out and she kept an eye on the sky until she saw it rise in the air and disappear, the sun seemingly beginning to rise just as he left. Nobody on the island was the wiser.

She turned to go back inside and began texting the other girls to see when they were going to arrive. Xion texted back in almost no time at all to say that Roxas was coming along to which Kairi responded happily, telling her to tell Roxas that he can help with bath time. Hehe. Roxas texted Kairi himself to say "Can do" with a thumbs-up emoji and said they'll be there in about an hour. They asked her in a group chat if she wanted them to pick her up some breakfast from the cafe on the way and she asked for a bagel and cream cheese, very happy they asked because she forgot to make breakfast this morning. While she waited, she finished undoing and re-doing all of Sora's wrappings that she was able to do herself. Sometimes wrapping his upper body was a little difficult as the teen was very floppy dead weight and moving him too much on her own risked re-opening wounds so usually it was a two person job. But all the limbs she can do herself. She kept a chart nearby that catalogued all of his injuries that they knew of and marked daily how each one was progressing, whether any were getting smaller or worse and thankfully today most of them were getting smaller after a bandage change and a cure spell. There was still the matter of the ones on Sora's chest and back, however, and they've been the most stubborn ones. Maybe she'll be able to check his progress after Roxas gives Sora a bath.

She looked up at the clock after she cleaned up and disposed of everything and there was still some time before the other three were due to show up. "Wow, I'm getting pretty fast at this, aren't I, Sora?" she mused. "I suppose I can work on making more bandages while we wait for our friends to show up. Do you want to watch tv or listen to music while we wait?" She considered both options before smiling, "Maybe we'll watch TV. I'm sure it's not too early for the cartoons. Now where did that remote go?" She searched around for it and flipped the TV onto the Disney Channel where Mickey Mouse shorts were airing. "Haha, we haven't seen his majesty in a little while. I think he said he's going to visit soon. I know Donald and Goofy have been busy too, but they've visited a couple of times. They text almost every day to ask how you're doing. I know they'll be so happy to see you when you wake up." Kairi smiled and looked over at Sora to see what looks like the barest hint of a smile forming on his lips. She giggled and opened up one of the supply cabinets to grab a box filled with rolls of white gauze in all different sizes and sat down in the chair that Riku had occupied previously next to Sora with another empty box next to her.

"Here we go, Sora. I wonder how many I'll get done before they get here. Wanna place a bet?" She glanced over and shook her head, "What do you know. You're so silly." She lifted up one large roll in her hands and closed her eyes, her body gently beginning to glow and the gauze began gleaming in her hands as if no longer made of cotton but silk spun of shimmering silver fibers. She opened her eyes and in moments the roll was done. Had nobody been there to witness it, they would've doubted that anything happened to the roll at all, but upon closer inspection it was even whiter than before, almost SPARKLING white. The sterile gauze was now purified and imbued with the princess's light. This is how they've been drawing the darkness out of Sora's wounds and trapping it in the bandages for disposal. If they hadn't discovered this, there was no doubt Sora would've been healing as well as he had. She placed the roll into the empty box and grabbed another one to repeat the process. "I'm so glad I could be useful and do this for you, Sora. It wipes me out, but it's worth it. I actually feel like I'm fulfilling my role as a princess for once, you know? I don't know who this new enemy is or what he wants, but if they could do this to you, they can do it to other people too. If this works out, we can tell the other princesses so we can help others. But I hope it doesn't come to that. It's too scary to think about."

Within a half hour, she almost emptied the first box. The whole time she talked to Sora while the TV played the Mickey shorts in the background. They've already seen them a couple of times, so she was sure Sora wouldn't mind her talking over them. She spoke of the goings-on of the island and the local high school and about what their old friends were up to. Tidus, Selphie, and Wakka didn't know about Sora, but they'd ask about him often and were all smiles when Kairi assured them that he'd be home soon. With that in mind, she wondered if maybe they were downplaying his recovery. Should they have a big celebration ready for Sora when he wakes up or would that be too overwhelming? Maybe they should hold the celebration off until after the x-rays? "How do you want to celebrate your recovery, Sora? Would you like a tea party or a huge beach party? We could invite all our new friends and...and...maybe...have a cake..." she felt herself drifting off and sliding down her chair. Did she overdo it already? Her eyelids were beginning to feel heavy but she glanced over at the clock just as she heard knocking at the door. They were right on time, but she couldn't bring herself to stand up. "The...THE DOOR IS UNLOCKED!" she mustered up the last of her energy to shout and closed her eyes the rest of the way. She heard them clamoring inside the entryway and chattering amongst themselves and tried to straighten herself up, not looking forward to a lecture if they found her this way, but it was already too late. Namine reached her first and that was all she remembered before she drifted off to sleep.

. . .

"She overdid it again..."

Roxas sounded grumpy already.

"I wish she would've waited until after she ate breakfast."

Poor Namine sounded worried. She could already imagine her pressing her fingers together and hovering beside herself with anxiety.

"Don't worry, she just needed a nap. I think she woke up early to get Riku. She probably didn't get as much sleep as she should have and forgot. No big deal. But she got the whole box done! We'll just have to make sure she doesn't make any more until after lunch."

Good on Xion to keep the other two calm.

Kairi heard the two blonde teens hum their agreement in unison and couldn't hold back a chuckle before she finally opened her eys and sat up. They had moved her to the spare cot in the room and let her sleep. She glanced at the clock to find that she hadn't been down for more than 20 minutes. She looked around and caught Roxas's gaze at her first and immediately felt sheepish. "Hiiiii guys...good morning."

"Good morning indeed. More like we caught you sleeping on the job," Roxas said bluntly but his face softened with a small smile and he offered her the bagel they got her, still wrapped up in its paper. "Hopefully it's not too cold."

"It's perfect, thank you so much," Kairi accepted it gratefully and devoured it in less than 5 bites. It was a little hard, but the cream cheese was still so good and it felt like just what she needed. She looked up at the three, seeing they all were watching her eat with concern on their faces and gave them all a strong smile. "I'm fine, guys. Thanks for looking after me. I'm sorry I worried you. I guess I felt bad that Sora doesn't seem healed enough to get his x-rays done today and I felt helpless so..."

"You don't need to explain, Kairi. You just need to be more careful. Hopefully you won't have to do this for much longer. That being said, don't go wearing yourself out. We still need you for other things," Xion nodded, taking a seat in one of the comfy beat-up chairs and finishing the last few bites of the sandwhich she had started on before they arrived.

Namine had already gotten to work putting the box of finished bandages into the cabinet with the rest of the supplies and set aside ones she left out in preparation for when Sora was done with his bath. Kairi frowned a little, realizing she could've saved some work by waiting for the bath before changing out the other ones, but she was following routine and didn't expect Roxas to be there today so really, it couldn't be helped. "Shall I get the bath running so it'll be ready for Sora after we're finished eating breakfast?" Namine asked.

"Oh, yeah, that'd be great. Thanks, Namine. Aren't you going to eat?"

"I will, but I ordered a soup and it's still too hot for me. So I don't mind getting the bath ready while it cools," she smiled sweetly and hurried off to the bathroom that was also added when Merlin magicked this room into existence.

That was so like Namine to just order whatever. Most would think soup might be a little weird for breakfast but most of Namine's first months of existence where in Castle Oblivion where there was no concept of time whatsoever, so she just ate whatever was given at whatever time, not knowing any better. If she saw something she wanted to eat, she just asked for it, even though sometimes she ended up asking for her dessert first. They all thought it was adorable, though, so for the time being none of them have sought to correct her. She's been through a lot; she can do whatever she wants. The red-head smiled to herself, glad that Namine seemed to be adjusting to life very well. She felt well enough after her nap to hop off the cot, remake the sheets, and offered all of them a drink from the fridge, which all three happily accepted. Soon enough, they had all finished their little breakfast and Xion helped Roxas lift Sora into a wheelchair so they could wheel him to the bath. The sentient dirty-bandage eating trash bin followed after them and Xion closed the door behind her. Roxas could do the rest on his own.

The three girls got to work changing Sora's sheets and fluffing his pillows and mattress. The girls liked this part because fluffing the mattress really meant punching the crap out of it until the lumps were out and until there was no longer a Sora-shaped indentation in the center of it. It usually left them giggling, especially as they cheered sweet Namine on. Once the punch-fest was over and they finished making the bed, they started gathering up the discarded linens for the wash. Xion brought over the large basket first, "So anything interesting happen since we were last here? I know it must've been hard getting Riku to leave on another mission. I dunno how you manage to do it."

"You got that right," Kairi grinned cheekily. "Nothing really happened when I watched the previous day, but when I came in this morning to wake Riku, he was of course draped over Sora, halfway falling out of the chair. I swear, if he insists on not sleeping in the cot, we might as well get a bigger bed for Sora so Riku can sleep next to him already. I told him we could scoot the cot close to the bed, but he keeps insisting not to because it's too heavy to keep moving whenever we need to tend to Sora. But if he keeps doing that, he's going to mess up his back." She tsk-tsked, tossing the rest of the sheets into the basket and helping Xion carry it to the laundry room while Namine ran ahead to get the wash machine ready. She was fascinated by appliances so she always jumped at the chance to be the one to push the buttons and put the soap in.

"That can't be good on his hip, either. Has he gotten it checked out yet?" Xion inquired as they started tossing things into machine, treating it like a game of basketball as they stood back and launched the sheets and pillowcases in.

"No, he insists that we should all focus on Sora. But at least he let us fix his wrist. He's the reason we figured out how to help Sora. When..." she paused to listen for Roxas, making sure he was still occupied with the bath before she continued, but in a quieter voice so only the girls could hear, "When Roxas hit Riku, Riku transformed into Ansem to beat him and the darkness seeped into his injury to sustain him in the fight. But when Riku wasn't relying on darkness, the wound festered with darkness as it wasn't really helping him anymore. So it was up to Riku to keep it at bay so it wouldn't hurt him all the time. But a few days after we got Sora back, he recognized some of the same symptoms in Sora's injuries and let Merlin and Yen Sid try out different ideas on his arm to see if they could work for Sora."

"I remember you and Namine mentioning that and you told me what you do to the bandages and stuff, but how did that solution even come along? I wasn't here for that. What led you guys to the conclusion to rub your princess pixie dust all over band-aids?"

Namine laughed so hard she covered her mouth, "'Princess Pixie Dust...'"

Kairi couldn't help but giggle too. "To be honest, I'm still not very sure. Merlin was blathering about potential solutions, but you know how he does, sometimes he says so much it's a little hard to follow him and I just happened to be helping wrap up Sora's wounds with Riku. Back before we had any idea what we were doing, I would do one side and Riku would do the other and Riku just happened to say he couldn't understand why the left side, the side I was always doing, was doing better than the right side. Yen Sid just happened to hear and asked what we were doing differently and I just said nothing, just that I did that side and Riku did the other. But then Merlin piped up as if that was what he was getting at the whole time." She snickered and imitated the old wizard in a scraggly voice, "That's what I was trying to say, you see, the pure light of a princess's heart can bring out any darkness. So it seems she's been purifying the bandages with her touch and it's drawing out the darkness somehow. Quite so. Just like I thought." She and the rest of the girls giggled at her imitation. "After that, Yen Sid looked at some more books and taught me how to imbue my power into objects, or rather purify them with my light."

Xion tossed the last pillowcase into the wash machine and observed/supervised as Namine handled the settings on the machine. "So how DO you do it? What's it like? The rest of us rely on keyblades to get stuff done. I remember feeling helpless when I didn't have my keyblade and Roxas had to let me use it while he relied on casting magic. But even then his spells didn't seem as powerful without it. Sometimes I forget that you're a princess of heart AND a keyblade wielder."

"I'm not sure how to describe it, really," she thought about it for a moment, raising both of her hands to rest over her heart. "I guess I hold the bandages and I channel all of my hopes into them with my hands, almost like I'm blessing them with my prayer that they will help Sora. That seems to do the trick. If I think of it that way, I'm able to use that intent to channel my power easier. Having a goal and a mantra that conveys my hopes and wishes for Sora and repeating it each time also seems to help the process work more...efficiently, I guess? Before I wasn't even sure I was doing it right at all and I think it took more energy out of me because I was putting more power than neccessary into one set versus another. But once I became more precise with my power, I got the hang of it. I still get pretty tired, but I'm able to keep up with the demand for more bandages a lot better."

"I think it's so wonderful that you can use your heart to heal others," Namine chimed in.

Xion nodded, "And Sora uses his heart to connect people. Maybe one day, there will be more hearts out there who can heal and connect others, not just princesses."

"I think that'd be wonderful. And if Sora's proven anything, it's that any one of us are capable of using our hearts to do wonderful things," Kairi concluded cheerfully.

They were all smiles now and the wash machine had begun its cycle. "You know, since there are so many of us helping today, why don't I make lunch for everybody? I already stocked the fridge with groceries, so we should have plenty for everyone," Kairi suggested.

Namine looked torn, "That sounds lovely, but shouldn't you be resting? I mean you were just unconscious not too long ago!"

"Don't worry, I'm fine. Besides, making lunch doesn't expend nearly as much energy as looking after Sora. If you want, after I take notes on his current condition, I'll leave him to you three while I make lunch. Sound fair?" she bargained.

"Hmm...you DO make good lunches..." Xion considered. Just the thought of Kairi's cooking had her hungry again, even if she just finish eating not 20 minutes ago. "You got yourself a deal."

In the next room they could hear the blowdryer running, a tell-tale sign that Roxas had finished taking care of Sora. They returned to the room to find Roxas had already dressed Sora in a fresh set of robe-jammies but has him upright in his wheelchair attempting to blowdry his hair into a mohawk style. The girls all laughed at the blonde's antics and hurried over to rescue Sora.

"Oh come on, just for a second! I want a picture!" Roxas whined as Kairi yanked the blowdryer away from him and Namine grabbed the comb.

"Wouldn't that be in bad taste, Roxas?" Xion asked, even though she couldn't hide her grin at the idea as well.

"To anybody else, maybe. But I think Sora would find it hilarious!"

"Riku wouldn't," Kairi pointed out as she fixed Sora's hair, though it just needed a little ruffle and a few swipes of the comb before it sprung back into its normal shape.

"Yeah, but he isn't here, is he?" Roxas smirked.

"Hey now, don't you be teasing Sora or I won't make lunch for everybody!" Kairi warned.

"Wait, nobody said anything about lunch! I'll behave, I promise!" he pleaded.

Kairi hmphed smugly and finished making sure Sora was dry. "But first I need to see how his chest and back are doing."

Roxas nodded. "I already re-bandaged the rest. Let's lay him on his stomach first and then I'll help you roll him over when you're done." Roxas took a half-kneel in front of the wheelchair and Xion hurried over to help load Sora into Roxas's arms, bridal style and made sure he was steady as he straightened up and carried the unconscious teen to the bed. After that, they all assisted Roxas in making sure Sora was gently put down and arranged his limbs so that he could be turned over onto his stomach and positioned his head to the side so he wouldn't smother himself with the pillow.

"Good job, Roxas," Kairi thanked him and Roxas scooped his hands under Sora to undo the belt part of the robe so he could pull down the back of the garment just enough for Kairi to see the extent of his injuries that were still healing. Upon seeing it, Kairi couldn't help but wince a little. "Ooh...how did his back bandages look when you unwrapped them, Roxas?"

Roxas considered for a second, "They were stained, but I don't think they absorbed as much as they usually do. Before, it was almost like tar, right? This time it was like an ink pen leaking in your pocket. You know what I mean?"

"I was afraid of that. His arms are making great progress and his legs look fine, but I don't know...he's just not making much progress on his back."

Xion looked him over, a little confused. "What's the problem? He doesn't have any open cuts or marks. I just see a bunch of dark squiggly lines on his lower back. Couldn't we just write that off as scarring or bruising? He's not bleeding on his back anywhere, right?"

Namine looked like she shared Kairi's concerns as well. "Well, it could be one of two things. Either the bandages aren't working very well on his back or they're almost finished with their job and he might be completely healed there soon. We won't really know until the bandages stop absorbing darkness from that area."

Kairi nodded and started jostling down her notes. "And he's got these shiny purple little specks all over his shoulder blades and spinal area. They're almost shiny, see? But all the purple marks are on his lower back so I'm wondering if maybe he's got glass or something embedded in his back."

Roxas squinted at the spots Kairi pointed at and took a gloved hand to poke one of the bigger spots, much to Kairi's dismay!

"Don't poke it! You don't know what it is!" Kairi warned.

"Well we won't know if we don't get a closer look, right?" Roxas continued, this time gently feeling around the spot and then even gently squeezing it as if testing to see if it were a pimple that might pop, all while ignoring the small noises of disapproval that Kairi's making, even though she's watching his experimental prodding with just as much curiousity. "It feels like it goes deeper than just the top of his skin. The top feels hard, I guess? But the rest underneath doesn't seem to be? Like if it were glass, I'm sure it'd feel like a rock, right? It's as if someone stuck a sequin to his back. I don't know how else to describe it."

"Hmm...that might be something we should look for in the x-rays once we decide when we should get them done," Kairi nodded as she recorded everything Roxas described in her notes and drew another chart to map the spots. They were easy to miss without shining a light on them. In fact, if Kairi hadn't said anything, the others would've thought they were just freckles or that Roxas used a glittery bath bomb on Sora. She signaled that she was done recording his back and Roxas pulled his robe up again. Together they gently rolled Sora onto his back and opened the chest part of his robe so they could finally see how his chest was doing.

Even though Roxas just saw Sora while he gave him a bath, he couldn't help but wince along with the girls once Sora's top half was disrobed. There was already a little bit of scar tissue left from when Sora stabbed himself with a keyblade to free Kairi's heart. But it was nearly unnoticeable as a new fresh wound had been opened up on top of it. A deep purple gash that was twice as big as the original scar at about 6 inches long with what appeared to be something like burn marks trailing radially from it, in short taking up about 1/3 the surface area of Sora's chest. A lot of healing has been done already, the new flesh a shade paler than the rest of him. Some of the trailing burn marks still had a little purple to them, but what was clearly most concerning was the deep gash that refused to close in the middle of it all. It was a somewhat thin, 3 inch long sliver that had the appearance of a black void, but what was most disturbing was in that black void, something red and crystal-like was glinting from within. The wound was so much better than it was a couple of weeks ago, but truth be told, it was still jarring whenever they saw it because it was clearly an injury that none of them had ever seen before.

Roxas finally broke the silence, "He's not bleeding, but it's still taking forever to close up. It's almost like it isn't even a wound anymore...it's like a shell that's been cracked or something."

Kairi's hands were shaking a little as she scribbled down her notes, "Riku said that the guy that captured Sora used Xehanort's keyblade to pull his heart out of his body. When Sora did that to himself before, he unlocked himself to free my heart. But this seems much more gruesome, like just shoved the key in until Sora broke open."

Xion put her hand over Sora's and squeezed it gently. "I've had dreams of Roxas, Ventus, and I being in Sora's heart. I remember us trying to protect him. Ventus made sure Sora's heart was locked up tight and even fought Riku off until he was sure it was safe before giving Riku the key that would wake him up. We were no longer in Sora's heart when he went looking for you, but maybe the protection around his heart was still there, making it harder for that guy to get in. So...maybe he had to force his way through..." Just imagining what Sora might've gone through at the hands of this unknown monster brought tears to Xion's eyes, one of which escaped and landed on the pristine bedsheets and alerting Roxas who quickly rushed to give her a comforting hug.

"Hey, don't start blaming yourself for how awful that bastard was to Sora. All of this just proves Sora put up one hell of a fight and any protection that we might've left behind helped keep his heart safe just long enough for Riku to get to him in time. That's all. Sure, that meant he had to hit Sora harder to get what he wanted, but that's better than it being too easy and getting it sooner, right? Sora would agree, I'm sure, and I'll bet once he's done healing he'll wear these scars proudly." Roxas finished with a firm nod.

The sentiment was sweet but Kairi couldn't help but think that Roxas might be misjudging Sora's manliness just a tad. He never seemed the type to show off his battle scars, after all. But it seemed to cheer Xion up so she kept that thought to herself.

Roxas released Xion and offered her a tissue to dry her eyes with before turning his attention back to Sora. "So...do you think that glinting red thing is his heart?"

Kairi swallowed hard and nodded, "I-I think so. Yen Sid and Riku seem to believe as much. That's why we need to heal him as much as we possibly can, especially here, because otherwise he and his heart are extremely vulnerable."

Namine had her hands clasped together in concern. "Do you think there's any way we can protect his chest while he's recovering? His other injuries might heal long before this one does and he should probably be up and about sooner rather than later. We can't just keep sustaining him on potions forever. He's already lost some weight..."

Kairi finished writing up her notes and started handing out the supplies that Namine had set out earlier so they can begin wrapping him back up. "Don't worry. Riku's picking up something after his mission that might help. I think it's like an armored chest piece for Sora. If all else fails...maybe we can put him in one of the sleep chambers back at the mansion in Twilight Town?"

Namine's brow furrowed, "I don't think..."

"No, you're right." Kairi put a hand on Namine's shoulder so she wouldn't have to explain herself. "I don't think Riku would want that, and I'm sure Sora would rather be right here at home with all of us."

Xion looked up from her work, "If you're done with your notes, Kairi, we can finish up here and you can get started on lunch. Don't think I forgot. Hehe."

Kairi laughed, "You're right, I'll go do that now. Thanks, everybody. If I start now, lunch should be served by noon!"

"And I'll keep an eye on the laundry after we're finished here," Namine offered, eager to play with the dryer next.

"You got it!" Kairi gave a thumbs up and ruffled Sora's hair before skipping off to the kitchen to whip up some grub.

A few minutes later after Sora was all bandaged up, Roxas and Xion had started getting to work on splashing potions all over Sora and taking turns casting Curaga spells. There was a schedule on the wall that charted what times the spells would be casted and for how long so that nobody would overwork themselves and they all promised to stick by it. Otherwise, Riku would've been casting curaga nonstop. Sticking to this regimen seemed to helped them all improve their magical stamina, though, so sometimes when Kairi wasn't looking they tried to add an extra cast of curaga in there for good measure. Once they've expended their energy, they relaxed in the comfy chairs and watched the late morning cartoons that were playing on the TV. The Mickey Mouse shorts were done and now it was Donald Duck. Xion couldn't help but groan good-naturedly at the duck's seemingly endless squawking. "How does Sora understand anything of what this guy is saying?" she mused out loud.

Roxas smirked and kicked his feet up while interlocking his fingers behind his head, "Maybe it's like a dialect he's just had to get used to."

Namine had returned from the laundry room and picked up her sketchbook that she brought along and began doodling. "Maybe he just sounds hard to understand because the sound quality wasn't that good back then?" she offered.

Xion giggled, "Sure, let's go with that." Speaking of which, she heard rustling next to her and instantly became alarmed to find that Sora was wriggling around! "Hey! Has anybody cast Sleepga on him today?"

Roxas shook his head, "Not me!"

"Omigosh, I'll ask Kairi!" Namine ran for the kitchen.

But just as Namine fled the room, Sora started groaning and clutching at the sheets, his body wriggling inside the stiff bandages, seemingly straining to open his eyes. "R-Riku...Riku..." he whimpered.

Roxas began panicking. The two of them were still recharging their MP! He hurried to the supply cabinet where they stocked the potions and dug around for any ethers they might have left. "Please don't wake up, Sora. Not yet! Xion, do you have any ethers on you?"

"I'm sorry! I used my last one. I thought since Riku was bringing back more that it'd be okay..." Xion whimpered as she gently held Sora down by his shoulders so he'd stop moving so much.

The ordeal was unraveling so quickly. In less than 20 seconds from when the brunette originally started clutching at the sheets, his brilliant blue eyes had opened and his once serene expression had turned into that of somebody who's clearly in absolute unbearable agony. His eyes darted around, meeting Xion's, then Roxas's, before rolling back up to the ceiling and letting out an anguished cry as if he just realized his whole body was on fire or something and he began fighting against Xion who held him down for dear life, sobbing as she incoherently begged for him to calm down. Finally, in what was one of the longest 30 seconds any of them had ever felt, Roxas found one last ether in the back of the cabinet and used it on himself to restore enough magic power to cast sleepga and send the poor teen back into a peaceful rest and Sora fell limp against the bed once more.

Even though Sora was now resting, Xion was still in so much shock that she couldn't bring herself to release her hands from Sora's shoulders until Kairi ran in and gently pulled her off of him. It all happened so fast! Xion clutched Kairi and cried into her shoulder, the red-head returning the tight embrace as she struggled to hold back her own tears. Namine had hurried over to Roxas who fell to his knees after the adrenaline left him, trembling as his mind replayed the whole half-minute ordeal over and over. Namine quietly kneeled in front of him and opened her arms for Roxas to just collapse into and she held him close, murmuring comforting words while she ran a hand through his blonde locks in an attempt to ease him out of his shock.

. . .

The next hour was pretty quiet, save for the tv in the background. Kairi finished making them all bentos and brought them out to each of them who quietly gave their thank yous in kind before they all sat together and ate in silence. This sort of thing has happened a couple of times before, but it still hurt every time. For Roxas and Xion, though, who spent time in Sora's heart, it was the most heart-wrenching, as if in those few seconds they could feel Sora's pain as well. Finally, Kairi broke the silence, "I'm so sorry, guys. It was all my fault. I forgot to cast the sleep spell on him this morning."

Roxas looked up and offered a weak smile to Kairi, "Hey, don't worry about it. We were all just taken by surprise, that's all." But then his eyes turned downcast as he stared down at his half-eaten lunch. "But I worry...that his scream means he's still in a lot of pain, even though we've worked so hard to heal him. Maybe this means he's not even close to being ready to wake up..."

Xion sniffled, her nose still a little runny after she's finished crying. "Maybe...maybe he was just waking up from a bad dream and he was just as startled as the rest of us. Maybe it's not that bad..." Though even as she said that, she wasn't convinced herself and she could tell Roxas wasn't either. Their hearts knew better.

Namine looked down at her sketch pad that she had dropped on the floor when she ran to get Kairi. It had fallen open with her half-finished sketch of Riku watching over a sleeping Sora with little meow-wows and komory bats flying above their heads. "I get the feeling no matter how long and how much we heal and take care of him, his pain won't go away until he's awake to start the process of healing it himself..."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Before anybody calls BS on Kairi bandage-blessing, I have evidence to support that it's a possible thing that will be revealed in later chapters of the fic. I promise!
> 
> Also I hope I didn't put off anybody with the amount of detail I put into Sora's care, but I didn't think it was fair to expect everybody to stretch their suspension of disbelief when I think the selling point for some readers of this fic is to see Sora being taken care of. <3
> 
> Riku will be back next chapter. Look forward to it!


	5. Heaven's Gift, A Hero's Wish

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Riku's on a short mission to pick up a special item for Sora forged by the gods of Olympus themselves! It does feel weird to finally visit without Sora, though.

Ever since Riku left Destiny Islands, he felt a small tug on his heart urging him to turn around and go back home to Sora. Of course, this happened every time he left home, but ignoring it never gets any easier. He yawned deeply and put the gummi ship on auto-pilot for a bit, inputting Olympus as the intended destination before leaning back in his chair lazily. He sighed and looked up through the glass dome of the gummi ship to watch the stars stream by as the gummi ship zipped effortlessly through space. The view was almost mesmerizing and kind of nostalgic. A growl from his stomach stirred him from his musings and he groaned as he stood up to dig through the snack storage on the lower level of the ship that was beneath the cockpit. The two spaces were just separated by short folding ladder and a hatch in the floor, but it was small enough that Riku didn't bother with the ladder and just jumped down where the sleeping quarters and food storage were held. The lower cabin was equipped with three bunks, but they could fold back into the wall to make room for the middle bunk to be unfolded into one larger bunk or all could fold another way to form a small table and three chairs to sit at. On the other side was a small kitchenette area with two burners, a small fridge, sink, and a small closed off area that held the toilet area, just in case. Thanks to gummi tech, a lot of stuff could be fit into a small place but it seems Sora, Donald, and Goofy didn't really take advantage of the hide-a-way features the ship had to offer and just left everything feeling cluttered. That being said, Riku couldn't bring himself to hide it all away, either. It somehow felt a little homey when everything was out like this. Speaking of those three, he wondered if they hid any special snacks anywhere besides the other usual rations he's been helping himself to.

"Hm..." Riku pondered for a minute. "If I were Sora...where would I hide my snacks?" he glanced around and looked to the three bunks whose beds were still unmade since they were last used. He only needed a quick glance to tell which was Sora's though, as it was the only one with three pillows. "Haha, some things never change," Riku chuckled reaching over for the pillows. "Two for Sora..." he grabbed the pillow shoved furthest into the corner of the bunk and its contents crinkled loudly, "And one for snacks." He dug through it, not surprised to find most of them have already been eaten with the wrappers left behind, but he did find a few pre-packaged toaster pastries (cinnamon, yum!), candy bars, small bags of chips, and a few peanut butter and chocolate granola bars. He opted to help himself to a toaster pastry and granola bar before putting the snack pillow back and climbing back up to the cockpit. After resuming his seat, he tilted the chair back slightly so he could continue to look up at the stars while he nibbled on his prize.

He dozed off for a bit while the ship ran on auto-pilot. It was a good nap, too, but then he started feeling cold and felt something tugging him on the back of his mind, but as soon as he noticed it, the feeling was gone. Whatever it was, it was enough to stir him from his nap. He groaned and kept his eyes closed for a minute longer, debating whether or not he should try to go back to sleep but then a ringing from his pocket startled him upright. He fumbled for his gummi phone and quickly answered once he saw it was a call from Kairi. "Hey, what's up?" he answered, trying to hide the sleep in his voice.

Kairi seemed to be tip-toeing out of Sora's room so she could talk to Riku. "I'm sorry to bother you on your mission but...Sora woke up...It was completely my fault!"

Riku felt a sickening feeling in his stomach but tried to keep his voice calm. "How bad was it?"

Kairi turned her face slightly away from the camera as if ashamed, "Roxas and Xion were pretty shaken up by it. I don't think he was awake for more than a minute, maybe not even half. It's all my fault. Not only did I forget to cast the sleeping spell on him after you left, but I didn't put the heart monitor back on his hand when I finished changing his bandages! Xion and Roxas were alone with him while I made lunch..." tears started streaming down her face and she began choking on her words. "I'm so sorry, Riku. He might be upset tonight. Could you tell him I'm sorry?"

"Sh-sh-shhh...hey...Kairi...look at me," Riku hushed her quietly and tried to give her a reassuring smile. She finally looked into the camera while desperately using the back of her free hand to dry her eyes. "It's okay. Sora's going to be okay. We'll all be okay. Don't beat yourself up about it. None of this is your fault. I should've cast it before I left since you needed to use your magic to make more bandages anyway. I'm sorry for forgetting as well. As for the heart monitor...I mean come on, we're not professional caretakers or anything. All we can do is do the best we can until he's ready to wake up, right? And I know Sora would say we're all doing a great job. So don't you worry. You have nothing to apologize for."

Kairi gave a loud sniffle before returning a watery smile, "Thank you, Riku." She cleared her throat and grabbed her handkerchief to dab at her eyes before continuing. "So um, other than that, his condition seems to be improving. His legs are pretty much completely healed. His arms might even be completely healed within a day. But he still has these weird veiny-looking bruises on his lower back and some glittery stuff on his skin. And his chest...minimal progress, but it's better than no progress. I called his mom to let her know he wouldn't be able to make the appointment. From the way he reacted when he woke it sounds like he's still in a lot of pain."

Riku nodded solemnly, "No doubt from the open chest wound. If we can't get it to at least close, I don't think it's safe for him to leave the house at all. Hopefully this chest plate will help..." he trailed off for a second. That tugging on his mind earlier...was that...?

Kairi made a noise to get Riku's attention back, "You okay?"

"Fine, sorry. I was just remembering...Hey, did Sora say anything at all when he woke up?"

Kairi bit her bottom lip a little, as if flinching at her own memory of the event, "I only heard the screaming part. But Xion said he was calling for you before that. Why?"

"It's just before I woke up this morning, Sora said he had something he wanted to tell me. But I'm sure whatever it is, he can tell me tonight...if he hasn't forgotten it already."

Kairi giggled, though she did seem to feel kind of guilty since she was probably the cause of the interrupting this morning. "You're right. Don't forget to remind him. Or do you need me to remind you to remind him?"

Riku laughed, happy to see Kairi seemed to be cheering up. "Sure, why not? In the meantime, do you guys need anything else besides the usual?"

"Maybe get extra stock of ethers. I didn't realize how low we were until Roxas used the last one to put Sora back to sleep."

"Oh, right. Can do. I'll leave you to it, then. And Kairi, I mean it...don't sweat it. You're all doing great. Sora will be back with us soon."

Kairi nodded, "Thanks, Riku. We'll see you soon. And be careful."

"I will. I'll text you tonight. Bye!"

"Bye!"

The phone went silent and Riku pocketed it before leaning back into his chair again. He covered his face with his hands and groaned long and loud into his palms as he felt the blood rush from his face all at once. Now that he was off the phone with Kairi, the sickened feeling resurfaced as he allowed himself to finally acknowledge it. He remembered the other times Sora had awoken too early and couldn't imagine this time was any different. Twice Sora had woken up and acted as if he thought he was still fighting for his life and even though it was only for a few moments, he swung his limbs around so much he tore open some of his wounds. This was before they figured out how to help him heal better so he had set himself back quite a bit during each incident and naturally the violent scene was very distressing for all that were involved. He hoped that none of them would have to experience that again but at least this time Sora doesn't seem to have hurt himself. Was that tugging from earlier from him? He sighed and sat up properly, adjusting his seat and taking back the controls of the gummi ship. Olympus was quickly approaching. "Sorry, Sora. I'm afraid you're going to have to wait until my mission's over. But I promise, it's a short one this time. I'll be home by nightfall," he placed a hand over his heart and hoped that Sora could hear him. With renewed determination to complete his mission as quickly as possible, he hit the gas and prepared to land in Thebes!

. . .

The city of Thebes was bustling for sure. He remembered Sora texting about all the destruction one of the local villains had caused upon his arrival. But looking at it now, you wouldn't think that a lot of it was rubble just a few months ago. Chariots were darting all over the place and the citizens were going every which way to finish their shopping and it was all so huge that Riku quickly felt disoriented as he ventured deeper into the city square. Mickey said that Hercules was to meet him at the giant statue in the town square. He had a picture on his gummi phone for reference which was helpful because it seemed that there were a LOT of large statues around here, and not just of Hercules, either. Thankfully he found it okay and stood awkwardly, trying not to draw too much attention to himself as he waited. He didn't have any magic on him at the moment to help him blend in, but Sora didn't seem to need to change clothes in this world, either, so maybe it wasn't necessary? As he stood with his arms crossed, trying to stay out of the way of all the foot traffic, he wondered if he was too late. But then suddenly all the foot traffic in front of him began to clear and an excited neigh could be heard from the sky. He looked up to see Hercules arriving on a white winged horse which circled around the statue a couple of times before glinding slowly down to land in front of Riku.

"Riku, I presume?" the muscular man greeted cheerfully with an outstretched hand.

"Right, and you must be Hercules?" he shook the offered hand and smiled back. "It's nice to finally meet you."

"Likewise! It's so good to meet another friend of Sora's. He would talk about you guys all the time!"

"Did he now? Somehow I'm not surprised. He'd talk about you, too. He said you're a true hero!"

"Aaaaahhh," Hercules rubbed the back of his head bashfully. "He's a good guy, he really is. And I can tell just by looking at you, you two are cut from the same cloth. I'm glad he has you to look out for him. But anyway, if we idle around here for too long we're going to get flattened by the chariots. So if you're up for a couple more introductions, hop on and I'll take you to Olympus." He resaddled Pegasus and scooted up, offering Riku a hand up.

Riku was stunned by the offer. Were...were they going to FLY to Olympus? "I mean...if you think it's okay..." Riku hesitantly took the offered hand for a second time.

"No trouble at all!" Hercules laughed and effortlessly yanked Riku up with one hand and roughly set him down behind himself. "Hang on tight. It's a bit of a bumpy ride!"

Pegasus almost immediately started flapping his wings as if eager to show off to Riku and the jostling made the teen swallow his pride rather quickly to hold onto Hercules' waist. In no time at all they were soaring through the clouds and Riku finally felt brave enough to look down and enjoy the view. Thebes already looked so far away and they were skimming the mountaintops. Hercules looked over his shoulder at Riku, who finally relaxed his grip on his waist once Pegasus had gotten his rhythm and now seemed to be effortlessly gliding through the sky, "It's beautiful, isn't it?"

Riku looked up, "It really is. I kind of wish Sora was here, though. It feels strange being here without him."

Hercules nodded in understanding, "Yeah, I get that. But hey, you two are always welcome back to visit anytime. Maybe next time you two can come together and we can have a couple of rounds in the ring. Sora said you're an even better fighter than he is."

Riku smirked, "Yeah, sure, you're on." He then chuckled, "I actually haven't sparred with him in a while."

"Well what better way to celebrate his recovery than with a friendly tournament? I mean it, once he's up and about, bring him back here. Phil will get him back in shape in no time and once he's fighting fit, we'll organize another tournament, just like old times."

"That sounds like a lot of fun. Heh, I might have to take you up on that other offer, too. Sora's been in bed for so long..." he trailed off.

By now, they've entered the thickest of the clouds and have arrived at Mt. Olympus, home of the gods! Riku couldn't stop his jaw from hanging slightly open as his eyes took in the glittering gold architecture laid out before him. Everything was larger than life and seemed to be impossibly constructed out of clouds, marble, and bronze. "This is Olympus? It's so...I mean, wow!"

Hercules chuckled and dismounted, helping Riku get down as well. "Come on, I'll show you the forge."

After a short walk, they arrived at the forge of the gods where Zeus's own firebolts are made. Said god was already there, but the blacksmith didn't seem to be around. Zeus greeted Hercules warmly and pulled him into a huge bear hug. Riku could only laugh as he swore he heard Hercules' bones popping. It was nice to see Hercules have such a big, doting dad. Hercules finally escaped his dad's grip and waved Riku over to introduce the two of them. "Father, this is Riku. He's the one looking after Sora."

Zeus stood closer and towered over Riku for a moment as if sizing him up. Riku kept eye contact, a little unsure what to do otherwise. "It's an honor to meet you, sir."

Zeus raised two large hands and rested them on Riku's shoulders whose knees buckled slightly under the weight. "You're also the one who rescued him, if I'm not mistaken?"

"Er...I guess you could put it that way."

"You brought him back home at the risk of your own life! I'd call that a rescue for sure. And that, young man, makes you a hero."

"Please, sir...I'm no hero." Riku felt a red tint appearing in his own cheeks and broke eye contact to stare at eye level with Zeus's robe instead.

Zeus sighed and released Riku, giving him a pat on the back which again, nearly knocked him over, and gently nudged him over to the giant anvil in the center of the workspace. "Around here, heroes are revered and remembered. They also gain the favor of the gods. Young Sora has helped our world many times and has asked for nothing. Though he and his companions have been deemed true heroes and given their mark in the sky, it hasn't ever felt like quite enough. When I heard what had become of the young hero, I knew the time had finally come for us to offer our favor." He knelt behind the anvil and emerged with a cloth bag and gently set it on top of the metal work surface. He pulled the sash and opened the bag to reveal a glimmering chest plate. The piece of armor sparkled in the firelight of the nearby forge. It appeared to be made of a much paler gold than the rest of the armor pieces that hung on the walls. In fact, it gleamed so much it almost appeared to be white. In the god's large glowing hands it looked incredibly small, but Riku can clearly see it was custom-made to fit only one individual to protect what matters most. It appeared to have a front piece the clicked together with a back piece, both small and light enough to not interfere with arm, shoulder, or spinal movements. "Please, deliver this to Sora, as per your hero's duty," Zeus requested, wrapping the precious metal armament back up in its bag and gingerly passing it to Riku.

Riku nodded and carefully accepted it. He expected it to feel heavy but it was so light that if he didn't feel its presence underneath the bag, he would've thought he was handed an empty sack! "It'd be my honor. On behalf of Sora and all of us, thank you, your grace. And thank you, Hercules. With this, we might be able to wake up Sora very soon."

Zeus and Hercules nodded. It was then that Riku suddenly felt very emotional. As he held the precious parcel close to his chest, it suddenly hit him how close they were to waking up Sora and being together again. He tried to keep his composure but his frame was shaking from the effort as he felt tears well up in his eyes. Zeus gave him a compassionate pat on the back, almost making Riku drop the chest plate and Hercules put a hand on his shoulder to steady him. "I'm sure you're eager to head back. How about we get going?"

Riku nodded and smiled, "Yes. Thank you." He turned to bow towards Zeus and thank him one more time. "Thank you again. I'll be sure to bring Sora to visit soon so he can thank you as well."

Zeus chuckled, "The pleasure was all mine. Have a safe journey back and guard that well until you get it to Sora. As long as he wears it, he's under the protection of the gods. Be sure to give him our best wishes, from all of us."

"I will! Hopefully we'll be back really soon!"

. . .

After they said their farewells, Riku was back on the gummi ship in no time and pushing the engines as fast as they'll go to Radiant Garden to pick up the supplies. He was so eager to fly home he almost completely forgot about them and had made it about a quarter of the way home before he got a message from King Mickey and double-backed. Of course, once he landed, everybody was waiting to greet him and ask him about Sora's progress. He tried to answer as many questions as politely as he could while hastily loading all the supplies into the gummi ship. He left out the part about the brunette's worst injury, though. After all, Sora wouldn't want them to worry. Aerith seemed to know there was something more than what Riku was letting on, but she didn't say anything. Instead she gave Riku a bouquet of yellow flowers and asked if he could give them to Sora. Riku gratefully accepted them and promised he'd put them in a vase in Sora's room the second he got back. He promised all of them that he'll text the moment Sora's awake so that they can all plan a celebration for him. Their enthusiasm made Riku all the more anxious to get home. He was about to wave good-bye and hop back on the gummi ship before he remembered one last thing. "Hey, Leon! I forgot, how many more ethers do you have in stock? Kairi asked if I could get her a bigger supply--" DO DE DOOOOOOOOOOOO DO DE DO DE DOOOO! Riku's phone started ringing really loudly in his pocket. As he fished for it, Leon said he'd take care of loading him up with more ethers. Riku thanked him gratefully and saw the call was from Mickey again. He quickly answered it and greeted the king, "Hey! Sorry I didn't answer your other message. It's just you reminded me I forgot the supplies so I turned around and--"

He got cut off by what sounded like 4 or 5 different voices screaming in the background. He couldn't see Mickey at all, just his gloved hand covering up the camera. "Hello? What's going on over there??" Riku called for the King's attention, now very alarmed. He could hear Donald squawking and Goofy shouting and Mickey sounded like he was running. "Mickey? MICKEY!"

"Riku! Hold on! Kairi, you and Namine stay back! Donald, Goofy! Take cover!" Mickey shouted amongst the chaos. Riku was trembling as he grasped the phone with a white knuckle grip, trying to make sense out of what very little he could see on the screen.

"Mickey! Answer me! What's going on???" Riku shouted, now alerting everybody around him.

Mickey finally answered, his face pressed very close to the camera. "It's Sora! You need to come to the castle immediately! You might be the only hope we have!"


	6. Feel No More, Fear No More

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sora's still asleep, eagerly waiting to be woken up. But as his dreams continue, he begins to suspect that something's not quite right in the waking world and he's getting tired of being left in the dark.

It felt like ages since Sora last saw Riku. He just had to keep telling himself he was just being impatient and to remember that since he's dreaming, the feel and flow of time is very different from reality. As the sun came up on the beach, he even began to wonder if maybe he dreamed their whole encounter, which would be a real shame because there was something else he needed to tell Riku. He brightened though just as the sun's rays sparkled on the horizon, after all, Riku said today would be the day he'd get to wake up! Maybe they'll even throw a party! His mouth already began to water as he thought about all the foods he would like to eat as soon as he woke up. Sure, while dreaming he could have anything he wanted, but he never got the satisfaction of feeling full. He began walking along the beach and heard Kairi's voice coming from the sky. It was strange, since he saw Riku, he's now realizing this strange sort of routine his dreams have been following that he really hadn't paid any mind to. First, there'd be a voice in the sky, greeting him like the sun, and sometimes it's quiet for a while after that, but when it's Kairi, there's a long while where her sweet voice just fills his ears. Most of the time he can't exactly make out what she's saying or really follow any of it, but he can hear her laughter and hear when she's happy, sad, or excited. He enjoyed having the company of her voice, it made him feel a little more relaxed and it was overall very soothing. After that, there'd be more noise, something akin to the sound of a tv or radio in the background and that's when his dream eaters would come out to play and perform for him, as if they were re-inacting what they could hear so he'd understand. It was always so cute and so funny to watch them perform slapstick and physical humor and now that he's more lucid, he's guessing that they're performing like cartoons.

After that, his dream eaters would usually take him somewhere else to play besides the island. But this time he heard more voices besides Kairi's. He could make out Roxas's voice without a problem, and the other two sounded VERY similar to Kairi so his best guess was that Xion and Namine were around to keep Kairi company too. His heart ached for a moment as he longed to just wake up already and greet them. Wouldn't it be great if he could just sit up and surprise them? It'd probably be hilarious! He was so happy to hear so many of them had come to visit. Were they here because they knew he was going to wake up today? His mother was going to be there too so she can take him to get x-rays, right? "Oh wow, what would she say if she saw Roxas? I wonder if she'd see a resemblance?" he wondered out loud while he cuddled meow-wow.

The squishy blue creature suddenly became very squirmy though, as the clouds above started to darken ominously. "I...I don't think I want to be here anymore, guys." Meow-Wow squirmed out of his grip and Komory Bat made a rainbow bridge for Sora to follow with the bouncy ball of fluffy leading the way. Sora eagerly complied and was temporarily blinded by a bright light. Once he reclaimed his vision, he found himself in the dream version of Traverse Town. But this time there were beautifully lit amusement rides everywhere and everything that wasn't covered in fairy lights was covered in streamers and balloons and all his dream eaters were there enjoying themselves! As he walked up to the scene, they all stopped their merriment and greated him loudly all at once as if shouting "SURPRISE" at a kid's birthday party. "Wait, is all of this for me? Are you guys throwing me a party?" he asked them, and many answered by tackling him with hugs and cuddles and many, many snuggles. He was so touched that tears welled up in his eyes as he was smothered in love and affection from the colorful creatures. He could feel how happy they all were for him that he'd be waking up soon and they wanted to celebrate with him! "You guys are the best! Thank you so much! Haha! Let's party!"

. . .

The festivities seemed to go in and out of focus the more Sora enjoyed himself and immersed himself in the wonderful dream his sleep companions made for him. He returned to that blissful state of not even caring about how much time had gone by, what was going on in the waking world, what villains may be lurking, or anything of the sort. He was completely immersed in stuffing his face full of cotton candy and hot dogs, playing carnival games with his dream eaters, and riding all of the thrill rides over and over again. Lather, rinse, repeat! As he rode the Big Thunder Mountain Train Coaster for what must've been the 50th time, the sky lit up with fireworks while they were at the peak of the coaster. As the wind rushed through his hair and the explosive colors blinded him with their brilliance, he idly wished that Riku could've been there to enjoy the party with him.

Once the coaster came to a stop and he disembarked to find another carnival treat to stuff his face with, he could hear the voices of his friends, even over the noise of the festivities. Something didn't seem right, though. He could feel anxiety and disappointment in their voices. Had something happened? He felt his impatience from before start to return and then noticed something felt different. He continued to walk around the stalls and the colors that brought him so much glee before were now making him a little dizzy, but why? He was sure it wasn't tunnel vision from the ride, so what was it? The carnival music playing on the merry-go-round sounded more tinny in the background the further he walked. He glanced around and the dream eaters seemed to be moving a little slower. He looked up and the huge fireworks had quieted and were now no bigger than sparkler wands. He started to feel anxious to the point he could hear his own heart pounding in his ears. It was also then he noticed his breath was quickening...a sensation he hadn't felt or thought about in quite a while. "Guys, what's going on?" he asked and they quietly gathered around him, now all looking very sad, even Meow-wow who was gently nuzzling Sora's shins with his bulbous body. "Hey! Cheer up! Whatever it is, it can't be that bad! Come on now, don't be sad. I'm sure whatever it is, it's--"

"I'm sorry you're not getting your X-rays done today, Sora..."

Roxas? Wait, what did he say? He could hear a lot of voices now, or at least he could now make out full sentences, but when they weren't overlapping each other they sounded like they were minutes apart.

"It's not safe for him..." Kairi?

"His heart is extremely vulnerable..."

He felt his heart stop and the strength leave his legs. He collapsed into a sit on the ground and pulled Meow-Wow into his lap. As he focused on the voices, the once joyful scene around him started fading into black until it was just him and the little dream eater shaking and whining pitifully in his arms.

"I have to call his mom."

Mom...

"I feel bad...Riku told him..."

"Maybe he won't notice."

"Riku's on a mission..."

Where's Riku? He said he'd be back to wake him up...right? Is that what he said? I can't remember anymore.

"We can't just keep sustaining him on potions forever..."

"If all else fails...maybe we can put him in one of the sleep chambers back at the mansion in Twilight Town?"

No! Anything but that!

"You're right...Riku wouldn't want that."

NOBODY would want that for me, right? Right??

Then there was silence and nothing but darkness as Sora's mind swam through his thoughts. It felt like it was getting harder to breathe. He's not waking up today? Then when? His chest began to sharply ache. He tried to think about the warm beach again but he kept getting distracted by how heavy he felt. He couldn't even feel meow-wow in his lap anymore, nor could he move his legs to stand. He wasn't anywhere, yet he felt lost. In fact, it was almost like he was sinking and the deeper he went, the more cold and numb he began to feel. Riku...where's Riku?

I want to see Riku!

He forced himself to push aside the sinking feeling and imagined himself crawling out of the pit of worry and fear that he had somehow fallen into. With every inch he crawled, he could feel tingling in his limbs as he felt warmth and sensation return to his fingertips again. He swore he could even see a pin-prick of light in the distance. The closer he crawled and the brighter it got, the more pain he began to feel in his chest. His limbs felt like they were burning as he dragged his limp body forward. Though he couldn't move them, his legs were erupting with many pin pricks of pain as if he were dragging himself through a field of needles. It hurt, but he pursued clawing his way to the light, gasping in pain the whole way, the needles now like shards of glass which then turned to fiery embers just pelting into his back. He was so close, he panted hard, his chest felt like it was tearing in half. It hurt so much, but he wanted to see Riku. He didn't want to be in the dark anymore! He was almost there! Riku!! Answer me!

"R-Riku...Riku..." Sora mumbled...his face felt heavy all of a sudden...and now he was on his back. The pain...so much pain! He breathed harder, trying his best to ignore it. With every second it was becoming way too much!

"Please don't wake up, Sora! Not yet!"

I'm awake?

I'm awake!

He opened his eyes and desperately tried to move his arms. He could feel he was being pinned down. "R-Riku...Riku..." he needed to tell him before it was too late. Everything was so blurry. He could see Roxas, Xion was on top of him, and a flash of fleeing blond hair had to be Namine. He had to find Riku, BUT THE AGONY! The second he broke free from sleep in who knows how long, he felt the full extent of what his body had been through, almost like feeling every blow from the fight being inflicted on him all at once! He became aware of every part of his body where Xigbar's attacks pierced him, the remnants of his trauma nestled deep in his skin like balls of white hot molten lead. His chest felt torn open, the whole area feeling like a raw, exposed nerve and his back felt like he had been shot up with a nail gun. It was too much! TOO MUCH! His vision went white from sensory overload and he suddenly he found himself screaming uncontrollably! He so desperately wanted the pain to stop but he could do nothing but flail and struggle helplessly as he continued his sobbing cries! Every second he remained awake he realized more how broken and damaged his body was. With every extra second of awareness, the more he hurt, and the more he screamed!

It was like a nightmare that seemed to last forever, but it only lasted thirty seconds. Thirty seconds of being awake nearly had him wishing for death before merciful sleep pulled him into its embrace once more.

. . .

When he next gained awareness, he was back on the shores of his mind, sitting in the sand. Meow-wow was back at his side, nuzzling worriedly into his hip. "I-it was so bad, Bumpis..." he sniffed loudly, trying so hard not to cry but as the salty air blew into his face, he decided he didn't care anymore and began to sob without restraint. "I-It hurt so much. I don't remember it being that bad...A-after all this time and to still feel like that...will I ever be able to wake up? What if it never goes away? I don't know if I could live with that much pain. Even if I did...would it still hurt if I tried to hold Riku? Would Riku still love me if I stayed this broken?" he sobbed hysterically, unable to control this awful whirlwind of thoughts as the trauma of waking up rocked him to his core. He curled up into himself and buried his face into his hands as he tried to muffle his cries while also trying to hide from what very may well be his reality.

As he continued to despair, the winds picked up and the waves began to thrash more violently as everything grew dark and the clouds swirled ominously in the sky. Sora couldn't bring himself to care, even if he did notice. After all, nothing could ever be more frightening than the thought of never being able to hold Riku and love him the way he wants to. Even if he wished for it with all his heart, he could never bring himself to ask Riku to stay if it turns out his body will always be broken. He loves him too much to let him do that. The rest of his friends, too, what if they all keep trying to take care of him and never move on? He didn't mind taking any of their hurt, but he wouldn't want any of them to shoulder his...especially not for the rest of his life if things continue the way they are now. Wouldn't they resent him? No...they wouldn't leave him even if he told them to. He's always gotten his strength from his friends. But what if he's used it all up? He'd be a burden that would turn their bonds of friendship into a ball and chain. He'd just drag them down with nothing he could really offer in return for their kindness.

The storm around him spun tighter and tighter into a black cyclone and the ground beneath him blew away, leaving him slowly sinking into dark waters as he continued to hide his face in ever-increasing guilt and shame. "If I don't get better...how could I ever ask them to forgive me?"

He sunk into the icy depths and wrapped his arms around himself as he stared up at the glassy surface of his despair. "Would they ever forgive me?"

He mentally sighed. "I hate this. I hate them. They did this to me. It's because of them my friends might waste their lives away while looking after me. And if they don't...Riku certainly will. Even if I pushed him away, he'll always come back. I hate this. I hate them."

They didn't just hurt me...

They hurt Riku.

And Kairi.

Namine...

Roxas...

And Xion.

And Axel.

And Terra.

AND AQUA!

AND VEN!

AND THE KING! AND MASTER ERAQUS AND SAIX AND IENZO AND ANSEM THE WISE AND JUST ABOUT EVERYBODY ELSE I KNOW!

I HATE THEM!

HATE

HATE

HATE...

And worst of all...they want to use my heart to hurt people.

They used my heart to hurt Riku.

Never again. I won't let it. Even if I have to bury my heart down deep...

I will destroy them before they ever use me to hurt anybody again.

I will destroy them.

With all the pain and hatred in my heart...until there is no more.

Until they can't hurt anybody any more.

Until THEY are no more.

I will fear no more.

...

I will feel no more.

Until they can't hurt anybody any more.  
No longer will I feel...I will not feel...  
They will not use me again. They will not hurt me again.  
They will not hurt Riku again. TheywillneverhurtmeagainTheywillneverhurtRikuagainMyHeartBelongsToMe.Iwillkeepitsafe.IwillkeepRikusafe.Myheartbelongstome.MyheartbelongstoRiku.MYHEARTBELONGSTORIKU!

RIKU-RIKU-RIKU-RIKU-RIKU-RIKU-RIKU!

Riku...

...

...Riku...

. . .

While Sora vowed to keep his heart safe, he unintentionally began burying it. His desire to be strong to protect Riku mingled with an intense hatred for those who dared to use his heart against the people he loves and slowly started changing his body in the waking world while everybody was beginning to settle down for the evening.

In Sora's room, the lights were dimmed and a cozy fire was lit in the small fireplace. The light from the crackling fire danced merrily on the walls while Roxas and the three girls busied themselves with gathering bean bag chairs and other cozy things to bring into the room. They decided to order pizza and invited more friends to join them so they'll all be together and ready to eat by the time Riku got back from his mission. The nights had started getting really cold on the island, so it was the perfect time for every one to cozy up by the fire. Plus, after what happened today, it might be just the thing to lift their spirits, and they were sure the atmosphere would be good for Sora, too.

But while they prepared for a night of fun, none had noticed that Sora was transforming under the bedsheets they had just carefully tucked around him so he wouldn't catch cold. In the shadows cast by the flickering fire, they couldn't have noticed Sora's normally sun-kissed skin turning black as charcoal beneath the crisp white sheets. The black that stained his skin seeped into everything he was wearing, dying it with his own darkness. The gash in his chest that revealed his heart gleamed eerily from underneath the confines of his slowly darkening pajamas. The bandages around his wounds turned to ash and the swirling scars they once hid lit up in a fiery orange that traced complicated and almost jagged lines down his body and even burned a swirling orange pattern into his now inky black attire. Unbeknownst to anyone, Sora's heart then exited his body and seemingly disappeared, to hide to a place where it can't be found, and then his Rage Form transformation was complete. His entire body was cloaked in a black silhouette only outlined by the orange-lit scars and pattern on his skin and clothes. His eyes opened to reveal cold orange orbs, leaving no trace of their usual captivating sapphire splendor. The chaotic energy radiating from his body also short-circuited the heart monitor that they reattached shortly after he woke up the first time. The quiet beeps that would've otherwise alerted the group if there was any change to his heart rate were permanently ceased and the power to the contraption was completely shut off.

Dark tendrils formed from his body quietly pushed away the snug bedding and spilled onto the floor as he sat up on his own. Finally, he could move, for this form felt no pain. This form had nothing to hold it back...nothing could keep him from doing what he wanted. With his heart hidden, it was a little hard to figure out what he actually did want to do, as he usually followed his heart's command. His thoughts were still going, but it was like driving with only half a steering wheel and no brakes. Just the simple act of trying to move his arms was stiff and lacked any fluidity or control. In battle, he was driven by instinct to destroy what was attacking him; whatever was causing him pain was to be eliminated, by whatever means necessary until he could no longer sustain his rage and therefore no longer sustain his dark form.

The idle chatter of his friends in front of him caught his attention. Their backs were turned to him as they stoked the fire and set out the pizzas and plates on a blanket on the floor. They decided it was best to make the floor as comfy as possible versus trying to cram a bunch of chairs into the limited space. That way, they could also play board games once they finished eating. Eight seats were prepared next to the fire, like they were preparing an indoor picnic. As he felt next to nothing, he did nothing but continued to sit upright, almost unnaturally straight, and stare at them awkwardly from the back of the very dimly lit room.

Normally, he would've been filled with warmth and affection at the sight of his friends, but the only emotion left behind to drive him now was hate. As he continued to sit, he realized the desire to destroy his enemies couldn't be sated while he was here. After all, the objects of his hatred were nowhere in his current vicinity. It was at that moment Roxas noticed that he didn't hear the machine beeping anymore and he turned to find two frightening orange eyes staring at him from a dark figure sitting where Sora was supposed to be sleeping. Instinctly he summoned Oathkeeper and pointed it at the supposed intruder, "WHO ARE YOU? How did you get here?"

The other three teens whipped around to see what Roxas was yelling at. Xion and Kairi summoned their keyblades as well and Namine backed into the doorway behind her. The light from the summoning of their keyblades flashed just enough that Kairi could make out the outline of Sora's familiar hairstyle and she immediately recognized the form as something similar to what Sora used when he rescued her just a couple of months ago. "Wait! Guys, it's Sora!" She dismissed her keyblade and held her arms out in front of Roxas and Xion, who were still too wary to lower their weapons.

"Are you sure? It doesn't look like any form change of his I've ever seen. And besides, you said it yourself, he shouldn't be moving around!" Roxas protested, though clearly very worried at the prospect that it could actually be Sora in there and what the implications could be if it were true.

"Look, he's definitely wearing the clothes we put on him, but his bandages are gone!" Xion pointed out. "Roxas is right. If we don't do something quick, Sora could hurt himself. Let's just get him back to sleep and we'll ask questions later."

Kairi looked uneasy, but Sora saw her nod and the tendrils of hair on the back of his neck stood on end as instinct kicked in. The two teens cast "Sleepga" in unison and Sora sprung out of bed to avoid the cast. He was now being attacked! He needed to protect himself! He used fluid motion to hop and crawl all over the walls and ceiling while the two continued to cast sleep spells at him. Kairi used her body to block the doorway so Sora couldn't use it to escape and Namine appeared to have fled. It didn't take long before only Kairi was left with any MP, but if she missed and Sora charged, there wouldn't be anything else she could do to keep him from escaping.

Sora grew increasingly agitated the more he had to dodge and let out a haunting scream that although made very little audible sound it shook the whole house to the point that dust fell from the ceiling and the bed rattled hard on the floor. Xion and Kairi couldn't help covering their ears but all three of them were visibly shaken and felt an awful stab to their hearts that sent tears to their eyes. Sora could see Kairi was trying to call out to him, but he was immune to her pleas. Her cries could never reach where his heart was hidden...though it was pretty close.

Roxas kept his keyblade drawn, eyes darting around as he tried to come up with an idea. "Think...maybe we could tie him down?"

Xion raised her keyblade and shot a spark of fire at Sora who teleported to avoid it, reappearing on the bed and snarling animalistically at the three of them. "I don't think that's going to work. Besides, he might get more violent. We don't know what all of this is doing to his body. We're probably doing more harm than good."

Just then, three sets of feet scrambled in behind Kairi. Sora climbed up the back wall so he could see behind Kairi and see she now has Donald, Goofy, and King Mickey behind her. Namine peered from behind Goofy, "You guys couldn't have come at a better time..."

Roxas huffed, "Except maybe earlier..."

Donald squawked, "Well excuse US. I thought we were supposed to be having a party!"

Sora and Xion were busy locking gazes. He decided to start hopping back and forth to tease her and Roxas as they tried to keep the ends of their keyblades trained on his position. "We were, but then Sora just...well look at him!" Xion urged Kairi to step aside so the three new recruits could enter.

Sora jumped to the ground and landed on all fours, though a little clumsily because most of the floor was covered in lumpy pillows, so instead of the firm landing he expected he landed with more of a PWOMF!

Donald of course was the first to start running his mouth. Sora glared at his traveling companion not hearing much other than "He's just throwing a tantrum. Once the heartless are gone, he turns back to normal!"

The four teens exchanged looks and Namine piped up first, "Um...I'm sorry, but there haven't been any heartless here."

Donald took a couple of steps forward and got up in Sora's face and he started staring him down, bristling up again and snarling at him to back off. Though he harbored no hatred for his loyal friend, the court magician really knew how to agitate him.

Goofy looked really torn between trusting that Sora wouldn't hurt anybody and just yanking Donald back as soon as he got the chance. The compassionate knight looked sadly at the dark form of the teen on the ground, "Gosh, Sora. I sure am happy you're awake, but I don't think any of us expected to see you like this. Did somethin' happen that you wanna to tell us? You know you can always count on us! We'll always be here for you!"

No...no...they need to stay away or they'll get hurt...

Nobody's safe until Xigbar and the guy in the cloak are gone! I need to protect them. I need to find those two. Destroy them and save the others. Destroy them and save Riku. Protect Riku. Save Riku. Save everyone. Save Riku.

Mickey spoke up behind Goofy, "Have you two seen him like this before?"

"Awhr yeah, several times, your majesty. But it's like Donald said, he usually turns back once he's tired or the battle's done. But now that I think about it..." he scratched the top of his head thoughtfully while resting his elbow in his other hand. "He's done something like this when we fought Xemnas together the first time, but he looked more like a heartless. This side of him only started showing up very recently and is a little more...orange than the other. Hyuck!"

"And mad!" Donald added.

"What do you mean?" Mickey asked.

"I told you, he's throwing a tantrum! Lately, whenever we were in a jam, he started pulling this stuff. And always when he thinks we're not looking! But he can't fool me, I've seen him do it at least once!" he harped, crossing his arms proudly.

"I've seen it twice!" Goofy chirped, holding up two fingers.

"I've seen him do it right before I landed back on the islands. He used it to fight off the heartless while I escaped," Kairi added. "It was so scary..."

Mickey pondered, "But like you all said, this happened while you were fighting. Have any of you seen him do this?" He gestured at Sora who was now kicking the pillows around, getting rather indignant at the way they talked about him like he wasn't even there...which to be fair, he wasn't exactly all there at the moment. You could say his heart wasn't really invested in the conversation. He was busy biding his time until they cleared the doorway so he could escape.

All of them shook their heads. But then Goofy spoke up, "You know, in the fight with Xemnas, Riku was able to snap him out of it. Don't know how, but it's worth a try!"

Sora stiffened when Riku's name was mentioned.

Donald caught wise and smirked at him, "Oh, of course. As usual, Riku's the only one you'll listen to!" He huffed with his fists on his hips. "Well he's going to be back any minute, so you'll have to be good until then!" The observation made everybody in the room chuckle.

Sora started backing up from the duck's antagonizing stance and snarled as everybody laughed as his expense. The noise made everybody stop and he glared all of them down with his glowing eyes. He felt very cornered as they now all felt comfortable enough to be in the room and he didn't like it at all. If the bad guys were to show up and capture him right now, every single one of them would be very vulnerable. He could be used to hurt all of them at once! He needed to get out of here! HE NEEDED TO GET OUT OF HERE!

He gave a warning howl and charged in an effort to dash past them for the doorway, but Goofy was lightning quick in blocking him with his shield and the impact had Sora flying backwards and skidding across the pillow-covered floor, earning a gasp from everyone who were either shouting good job or scolding him for being too rough. While they collectively bickered, he made another dash for it, this time running along the ceiling and Donald cast gravity to yank him back down, again making him land hard on the floor and all the teens started yelling at him next. As Donald angrily squawked incomprehensibly back at them, Sora found himself getting rather angry. He hated this. He hated that they didn't understand. He hated that he couldn't just leave and do what he needed to do!

He let out another roar, his body floating in midair as small orange spike balls began to materialize out of black voids that have appeared in the floor and ceiling. If they didn't move, he'll have to make another way out!!


	7. Dark Rooms, Halls of Light

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The teens try to salvage a bad day by throwing a pizza party with some more of their friends. Unexpectedly, Sora crashes the party before it's even begun. Kairi and friends must work together to contain Sora's rage form before he destroys Riku's house!

After they had lunch, Kairi realized that she also forgot to attach the heart rate monitor to Sora after Roxas had given him a bath. Naminé was sitting next to Sora telling him about the new fairy tales she's read while sketching and looked up when she heard the beeping start which had interrupted her telling of a horse who found golden shoes. She then looked at Kairi's face and saw she was gripping the table the monitor was set on really hard and had tears falling from her face. "Kairi...?" she asked softly.

"I'm sorry...I just...today was supposed to be fun and I've messed it all up. Not only did I forget the sleep spell and pass out...I forgot the heart monitor. I-it would've told us if Sora was waking up and nobody would've had to see...And what if he was in pain this whole time and I couldn't help because it wasn't plugged in to tell me? It's bad enough he couldn't officially come out of sleep today but now I've made him suffer too!" she broke down into even harder sobs and Naminé rushed over to hug her tightly. The distraught red-head buried her face into the blonde's shoulder and shook as she cried whilst Naminé ran fingers gently through her hair until she quieted down. Naminé was so warm and always so sweet. She could put you at ease without really saying anything at all. Kairi sniffled and hugged Naminé a little closer, grateful that she was neither chastising or telling Kairi she was wrong. Sora was her responsibility and she knows she messed up, she needed to be allowed to feel this so it would never happen again. She even idly wondered if the roles were reversed...would Sora have healed faster? Naminé just seemed so good at making people feel better while Kairi felt like she caused more work for the people around her. Finally she let go and sheepishly smiled at Naminé in silent apology for getting her all wet and they wordlessly giggled the little breakdown off. Kairi was feeling better, nothing else had to be said.

In the meantime, Xion and Roxas kept quiet as the whole exchange went down, grateful that Naminé could give Kairi the emotional support she needed because neither of them were really good at that just yet. One thing Roxas knew for sure, though, the mood really needed lightening up. He muttered to himself, "The icing on the cake..." and Xion raised her eyebrows in understanding and joined him in his pondering.

Kairi pulled herself together and tried really hard to remember anything else she might have possibly forgotten before anything else could possibly happen. "OH NO! I forgot to call his mom! And I should probably call Riku to tell him what happened. Please excuse me for a minute!" she grabbed her bag and hurried back into the kitchen. First she retrieved her normal cell phone that her father gave her. Compared to the gummi phone, her little pink flip phone was much slimmer but to be honest, she couldn't decide which phone she actually liked better. She has to carry it with her, though, because the gummi phone doesn't work on the same cellular network as the phones on the islands. She flipped it open and smiled at the background she had on it, which was a snap of her and Sora's cave drawing on the play island. With a sigh, she decided to stop stalling and scrolled through her contacts to call Sora's mom. She clicked the green icon and held it to her ear. She took several deep breaths to steady herself and swallowed hard so she wouldn't sound froggy from crying as she listened to the outgoing call tone. One ring...two rings...maybe she should've texted, but Sora's mom DID say she'd prefer calls.

"Hey, Kairi! Everything okay? I was about to call you in a few minutes," Sora's mom greeted and just hearing her voice made Kairi feel like she was going to cry again. Sora's mom is such a sweet lady and just as plucky as Sora. She really didn't want to give her bad news.

Kairi took a deep breath through her nose and held it for a second before answering, "I'm so sorry, I actually should have called you earlier. It seems it wouldn't be best if Sora woke up today and Riku agrees. He just needs a little more time."

There was a long pause and Kairi could already imagine her crestfallen face. "Well, if it can't be helped, I'll ask the doctor to postpone the appointment. He's seen Sora since he was small, I'm sure he wouldn't mind rescheduling. How...how much longer do you think...?"

Kairi squeezed her eyes tightly shut to prevent tears escaping as she heard the woman's voice falter and quiver. She knew she was going to be disappointed, but she really didn't want to make her cry! How long WOULD it take? She didn't want to disappoint her again by suggesting anything too soon. "I'm honestly not sure. But good news is that Riku is coming back tonight with something that might help! If it works the way we want it to, maybe he could wake up in another week?"

The lady on the other end breathed a huge sigh of relief, "Oh! That is good!" She cleared her throat and Kairi could hear rustling over the receiver that suggested she was probably dabbing her eyes with a tissue. "I mean, of course I'll be cautiously optimistic. After all, Sora usually oversleeps for everything so all of this is actually in character for him." She joked and giggled along with Kairi, who was so glad she could find a way to lighten the mood for the both of them. "Well, I'm glad you called me in time because I scheduled extra hours so that I could leave work this afternoon and take him. But since I don't need to leave work, I can actually go home on time tonight. How about after my shift tonight I come by and bring you guys some ice cream from Freezy Timmy's? I got a coupon in the paper today for a new flavor they have that I think you will really like!"

Kairi brightened, "That sounds so great! Thank you! We'll look forward to it!"

"How many of you are going to be there?"

"Uh--" just as she was about to answer, Roxas popped his head into the kitchen.

"Hey, sorry, real quick, we've decided we're throwing a pizza party. Mickey, Donald, and Goofy are gonna drop by before Riku gets here," he gave two thumbs up and ducked back out of the kitchen, not even allowing for discussion.

Kairi gaped like a fish for a second at the sudden party plans but hurried to count how many people that would be so she could answer Sora's mom, "Sorry, I think they'll be 8 of us here when you come over and plus you, that'd be 9. Is that okay?"

"Of course! Sounds like a party! Hopefully Riku will be back before it melts...AKA before I get impatient and eat it for him."

Kairi laughed, "Well, he'll just have to be back on time, then! We're ordering pizza too, will you be staying for dinner?"

"Oh no, dear. I'll probably be there by the time you've all finished dinner. But I'll obviously be there for dessert. Please, you and your friends enjoy yourselves, I can only stay for a quick visit and brain freeze anyway."

"Sounds like a plan. I'll let you go. I need to call Riku next. Don't work too hard!"

"Okay, sweetie, I'll see you soon. Bye!" she blew a kiss into the phone and hung up.

Kairi released a sigh of relief and dabbed at her eyes a bit with the back of her hand, proud of herself for not breaking down on the phone with Sora's mom. That wouldn't have been good at all. She tried to look at the bright side again. His mom was right; there's no need to get too upset right this minute. This is all just a minor setback. Sora doesn't work to ANYBODY'S schedule. What matters is that he's home and healing and he can take all the time he needs...but it would be nice if he could speed it up just a little, teehee. At least for the time being, they're apparently going to have a pizza party and ice cream. Not a bad way to end the day. But wow, why did Roxas decide to invite the king and Donald and Goofy of all people? Oh wait, she has to call Riku first.

She returned her cell phone to her bag and rummaged for the larger gummi phone that she had painted with pink nail polish and made a paopu charm for out of modeling clay. She's had time to be crafty during her days watching Sora and she even made him and Riku one so they'd all match. She's holding onto them until Sora wakes up so she can gift them at the same time. She took another deep breath...somehow telling Riku about today felt worse than calling Sora's mom. Maybe it's because Riku has already had to experience something similar to this before with Sora and now in a way he's reliving the previous time so every setback seems to hit him twice as hard as everybody else. He doesn't let it show, of course, and he keeps doing his best to keep everybody's spirits up while saying they all just have to have faith in Sora because Sora can feel when they're rooting for him. But when it's just the three of them, Kairi has seen the immense sadness and anxiety in Riku's eyes as he watches Sora sleep. This morning felt a little different for Riku, though. He seemed a little more cheerful this time, at least just a smidge. Riku will probably handle the bad news okay, but it's going to hurt her so much to deliver it. It has to be done, though. Riku has to know what happened in case Sora has nightmares so he can help him tonight. She gathered up her nerve and hit the green icon next to Riku's name and watched the screen for Riku's face.

. . .

Now that she made both calls, Kairi found she was feeling a lot better. She returned to Sora's room where Roxas and Xion were busy telling Naminé about all the different kinds of pizza that Axel and Isa had introduced them to and suggesting which ones they should order so she could try. Kairi chuckled, interrupting their mini debate about whether or not they should bother getting a veggie pizza. "So why a pizza party? And why Donald, Goofy, and the King?" she asked.

Roxas rubbed the back of his head a little sheepishly and Xion gave a half-cocked toothy grin. "Well, whenever we used to have a long day at work, Axel would take us up to the clock tower in Twilight Town for ice cream. "The icing on the cake" he called it. I figured we all worked really hard today, so I'd treat us to pizza," the blonde male explained.

"And then," Xion continued, "While you were in the kitchen, I got a call from the king. He said Donald and Goofy had been nagging him nonstop to let them visit Sora, but Riku's been the one using their gummi ship. So he decided to finally give in and drive them with his own personal ship, since he doesn't trust Donald to drive it."

"And since I was ordering pizza anyway and now we have 3 unforeseen guests on the way, I figured we might as well call it a pizza party!" Roxas finished.

"I think it's a great idea!" Kairi clapped her hands together enthusiastically. "Sora's mom is also coming later. She's bringing ice cream!"

The other three teens cheered happily, "YAY, ICE CREAM!"

"She said she'll be here after dinner time. She's bringing Freezy Timmy's new flavor! Their ice cream is the BEST! The three of us used to go there all the time after school."

Naminé smiled broadly, "It sounds delicious! And a surprise flavor, too! I wonder what it could be!"

Roxas and Xion giggled giddily too as they wondered what the flavor could possibly be, and the fact that it must be a local favorite must mean it's homemade which of course means it must be awesome. But then Roxas began to look a little crestfallen, "So if she's only coming for dessert, she must not be staying long, huh? I just realized, none of us have really met Sora's mother. It would've been nice to have dinner with her, too."

Kairi chuckled and ruffled Roxas's hair affectionately, "That's really sweet, Roxas. I'm sure you'll have more chances to hang out with her in the future, especially now that things seem to be settling down."

Roxas grinned, blushing with mild embarrassment and playfully swatted her hand away. Xion spoke up next, "Do...do you think she'll like us?"

Kairi blinked, a little confused at the question. But once she thought about it, it kind of made sense why they wanted to get along with Sora's mother so much, and Naminé probably felt something similar. All three of them were born from Sora, in a way, and obviously don't have a mother to call their own but know what it feels like to have one through Sora's memories of his own mother. It'd make sense that they'd want to meet her and hope they get along. It was all very sweet, but a little sad, too. "Of course she will. But remember, she doesn't know about where you three came from. We haven't really gotten into the big details about everything that's been happening in the past couple of years. I'm sure it'll come up eventually, but now's probably not the time to bring it up, so if you don't mind..."

"We're all just friends of you and Sora's. Here to visit and help. Nothing more needs to be said," Naminé finished for her.

Xion and Roxas nodded. To be honest, they didn't feel like they should be the ones to explain it anyway. That was definitely a conversation that should be saved for another time...if ever.

"So! Should we have the party in here? We could light the fireplace and lay down some pillows and a big blanket and have like an indoor picnic! And we can play board games after!" Kairi suggested, quickly changing the subject.

Xion got very excited, "That sounds like so much fun! I'll raid the house for things to sit on! Roxas, can you start the fire?"

Roxas laughed but joined her in her enthusiasm, "Sure! Make sure you find me an extra comfy cushion!"

Xion giggled, "No promises, but I'll try!" She ran off to look.

"Uh...but remember this is Riku's...house..." Kairi attempted to remind her, but she was already running off to look. "Eh, I'm sure it'll be fine."

"Uh...maybe I should supervise?" Naminé suggested to ease Kairi's worries. "And I'll look for some comfy blankets, too."

Kairi put her clasped hands together up in thank you and decided she was going to shove the chairs and stuff as far back as possible to maximize the amount of floor space around the fireplace. During this, she accidently bumped Sora's bed and quickly checked to make sure she didn't disturb him. "Sorry, Sora. I guess I'm just excited. So many people are coming to see you today!" she chuckled and ran a hand through his hair. "Your mom's bringing ice cream, too. She said it's a new flavor. I'll let you know how it tastes in case you want to try it when you finally wake up. But knowing you, you'd probably prefer an ice cream cake first. I'd be down for that. Hehe." She quickly checked that Sora was warm enough and decided to pull the extra sheet over up to his chin and tucked the sheets in snugly. Evening was quickly approaching and sometimes the big house felt a little drafty. The fire will soon fix that, but since Sora's unable to move around, it was probably better to make sure he had a little extra coverage. "There you go. I hope the king has some fun stories to share with us. It's been a while since we've last seen them, huh? He said Donald and Goofy have been bothering him constantly to let them visit. I'll try to make sure they don't crush you too much. Speaking of which, I should make sure Riku has enough plates in the pantry for everybody. I'll be back in a minute. Roxas is right over there." She gently brushed any stray hairs from Sora's face and asked Roxas to keep an eye on Sora while she went to the kitchen...after checking on Xion and Naminé, of course.

. . .

Everything was a whirlwind after that. Just as they were eagerly awaiting the pizza man and fluffing out the pillows, Sora transformed. Just seeing him look this way instantly reminded Kairi of the fear and panic she felt when she was forced to leave him behind. She remembered thinking that if she never saw him again, that this was the way she would have last seen him, all scary and empty instead of the happy smiling boy she always knew. Just remembering that for the first time ever she actually feared that he may never come back made her feel sick. She couldn't even process the fact that Sora was WALKING...or hopping around, at least. Sora was here, but he also wasn't. As the bizarre situation developed, they were all torn up in so many ways. There was mostly concern for Sora, but they were also treating him like he WASN'T Sora...more like a creature that had taken him over, or something. They had to keep reminding themselves to be careful and not to be scared because even though he was now very intimidating and wild-looking, underneath that form Sora was still very vulnerable and hurt and would need immediate attention as soon as he transformed back. But even that was too scary to think about, they couldn't even figure out why he changed to begin with, let alone gather their thoughts enough to decide what to do once he did settle down. Then Mickey and the others showed up and it was very clear that the three of them weren't handling situation any better, emotionally. Donald was clearly so disappointed that he antagonized Sora almost immediately. Kairi wanted desperately to bop him on the top of the head with her keyblade to shut him up, but she couldn't bring herself to do it. If anything, she empathized with Donald a very tiny bit. If she were in his shoes, or webbed feet rather, she couldn't decide if seeing a horrifying version of her friend that was up and about was better or worse than visiting an unconscious, severely injured, but content-looking version.

It didn't excuse him continuing to antagonize the poor teen either. So she wasn't surprised when Sora looked like he was losing his temper. When he started floating in the air and raising his arms, she immediately recognized the attack as the one he used to wipe out so many heartless in the sleeping realm. The voids of darkness he opened all around caused such a rift in the room that Roxas's fire got extinguished in the fireplace. Surely he wouldn't do that in the house?? TO THEM?? "YOUR MAJESTY! We need to get out of here, now!!" she warned.

"STOPZA!" Mickey cast with all his might, freezing Sora in place. Without him maintaining his focus, the dark portals and partially summoned spiked orbs of darkness dissipated from the room, leaving behind a very disheveled room. "This form is too unpredictable!"

"Yeah, and I don't think that spell will hold him very long, either. He's very strong when he's like this! No amount of spells will put him to sleep either. It's almost like he's immune to that kind of stuff in this form," Goofy warned still keeping his shield raised because there was no doubt in his mind that Sora could break out at any second.

"If we can't tie him down or put him to sleep, we have no choice but to move him so he can't hurt himself or other people, and I think I know just the place. Donald, call Merlin and have him come here immediately. We need his teleportation magic, NOW!" Mickey commanded.

"Yes, your majesty!" Donald saluted and quickly fumbled with his own gummi phone to call Merlin. "MERLIN!! WE NEED YOU!! WE'RE AT WIKU'S HOWSE! SORA'S GAWN CWAZY! HURRRRRYYYY!!"

Everybody groaned for a second as they realized Donald probably wasn't the best choice to task calling Merlin with. He was hard enough to understand in person as is, let alone over the phone...and when he's panicked!

Nevertheless, in less than 10 seconds, a POOF of blue clouds and pink dust signaled the arrival of Merlin who stumbled over his long white beard as he hastily walked into the already-crowded room over. "N-now see here, what's all the ruckus about? I was just about to have dinner!"

"Merlin! Sora's in trouble! I need you to teleport us to the Hall of the Cornerstone immediately!"

"N-n-now now wait a minute, you mean all--"

"HURRY!" Mickey begged. He could see Sora beginning to wiggle free of the time hold. "We gotta go, now!"

"Alright alright, hold your horses!" Merlin muttered, waving his cane around in a flurry of motions, clearly displeased with being rushed but he'll lecture Mickey on manners later, as this seemed very urgent. The room filled blue mist and pink stars and then POOF! It all cleared away to reveal that they were now all in a very different place. It was a GIGANTIC white room without windows and had a huge gleaming orb in the middle of it on a pedestal along with a peculiar pearlescent free-standing door in the corner and a huge set of stairs leading up behind them.

Mickey looked around, realizing it probably wasn't necessary to bring all of them...mainly Naminé who was the only one who couldn't defend herself. But he did tell Merlin ALL of them. It probably wouldn't have felt right to leave her behind anyway.

"Where are we?" Kairi asked, kind of overwhelmed by the huge room. She noticed the orb too, which had a placard beneath it that read "The Cornerstone of Light".

"We're in the king's castle!" Goofy said, with a hint of pride in his voice. "And that there's the Cobblestone of Light!"

"CORNERSTONE!" Donald corrected.

"Hyuck, right! Its light protects the castle and inhabitants from darkness. It's what keeps this world safe from any heartless!" he finished explaining.

"Wow...so...Sora will be safe here?" Kairi turned to Mickey who had his eyes trained on Sora while he quickly tried to regain his strength in case he needed to cast time magic again.

"Well...to be honest, I don't know. I guess I was more worried about keeping US safe, first. Sora wouldn't want any of his friends to get hurt...Aw...well..." he started muttering, as if feeling guilty.

"What is it, your majesty?" Naminé pressed.

"Well, he looked like he was attacking using darkness. I figured if we took him to a place where darkness can't survive, he wouldn't be able to use it to hurt anybody."

"That sounds logical to me, but..." Xion looked worriedly at Sora who was still struggling to move but now appeared much more frantic as the orange patterns and shapes on his body faded and now started to glow bright blue! The patterns that were traced on his actual skin seemed to flake off like little pieces of burning ash that crumbled and disappeared before they had a chance to hit the floor. His skin remained black but instead of orange tracings over his scars, there were thin blue lines that were drawn jagged in their place, now resembling something akin to hairline cracks on his body. The orange pattern on his pajamas also disappeared and instead a blue heart symbol flanked by flames inscribed itself on his back and more blue flame patterns appeared around his lapels, sleeves, and ankles. His eyes remained pretty much the same, if not gleaming an even more alarming orange color.

"Uh...guys..." Roxas pointed, "Does that worry anybody else?"

Donald shrugged, "Actually, this looks closer to what we usually see. The orange was the weird part."

Suddenly a loud screech nearly pierced their eardrums as the magic failed, the incantation shattering and letting Sora free who immediately began teleporting all over the place trying to look for an exit.

"I think I'll try to seal the door off, shall I?" Merlin suggested as he backed for the stairs.

Mickey kept his eyes trained on Sora but waved behind him to give Merlin the okay. "Yes, and also let Master Yen Sid know what's going on. And tell Minnie. But tell Master first. He might have an idea of what we should do next!"

"Right-o, right-o! Keep your wits about you!" he advised before turning and lifting the bottom of his robe almost all the way up to his waist and dashing for the stairs, sealing it with a magical barrier as soon as he crossed the threshold.

"So...Merlin the Great Arthurian Wizard prefers boxers, huh?" Roxas candidly observed.

"Pink suits him," Xion snickered.

"FOCUS!" Donald chastised and the two of them nodded and summoned their keyblades, taking their preferred stances.

Naminé wrung her hands with worry as she watched Sora bounce around on the ceiling. He seemed to be avoiding the floor as much as possible, definitely trying to get as far away from the Cornerstone as possible. "Do you think it's hurting him?" she asked.

"I don't know...but I don't think it's helping, either," Kairi observed.

As if to answer both of them, Sora let out another shriek that shook even THIS massive room, causing all of them to dismiss their keyblades in favor of covering their ears.

"ARGH!! Make it stop! We're clearly hurting him, we should get out of here!" Roxas shouted in pained frustration. He could feel an awful burning in his chest and there was no doubt in his mind that it was because his heart kept trying to reach out to Sora and only received signals of twisted anguish that had intensified ever since they were teleported into this room.

After a few moments, Sora stopped and resumed bouncing all over the ceiling, like a fly trying to escape out a house that it had just flown into. He was swiping erratically at the air and every time he touched a surface he left behind steaks of scarlet fluid that evaporated in seconds. Mickey tore his eyes away to look back at his trusted companions, "Donald, Goofy, you mentioned Riku pulled Sora out of this once before?"

"That's right, your majesty. But uh, that was against Xemnas and that form looked different from this one. Do ya think it'd work with this one too?" Goofy asked, tilting his head with worry at the technicality.

"We've got to try. It's the only lead we've got. I better call him now. He doesn't know we're not at the house!" Mickey realized and quickly whipped out his own phone, turning his back to Sora for just a second while he tried to call Riku.

The silver-haired teen answered pretty quickly and his voice on the phone sounded very loud in the large, mostly empty room, "Hey! Sorry I didn't answer your other message..."

"Uh...your Majesty..." Donald whimpered for above them, Sora had stopped and had his eyes dead set on Mickey's phone the second he heard Riku's voice. Everybody held their breath as they watched him suddenly divebomb from the ceiling, his body spinning around and around by one one hand while he clawed at the air with the other, forming a black tornado with black flames as he continue to corkscrew all the way down to the floor, blasting almost everybody off their feet with the indirect shockwaves from his movements.

"--It's just you reminded me I forgot the supplies so I turned around and--"

"Xion, Kairi, Naminé, are you okay!?" Roxas shouted frantically as he ran back to the middle of the room from being tossed against the wall. The room was getting dark save for the middle where the cornerstone continued to gleam brightly as if in the eye of a storm.

"WAAAAHHHHH!!" Donald screamed and flailed as he got spun around several times before Goofy caught him by the feet in mid-air and was also spun around before being tossed and skidding along the floor next to where the King was standing.

"HANG ON, NAMINE, I GOT YOU!" Kairi had her keyblade up, using it to form a shield of light to protect them from the whirling winds of darkness while Naminé huddled behind her and clung to her waist so she wouldn't get blown away too.

Meanwhile, Xion was desperately aerial dodging Sora's scratches while she tried to call out for him to stop, but the din and chaos caused by his continuing attacks all but drowned out her pleas.

"Hello? What's going on over there??" Riku shouted through the screen, unable to see anything as Mickey had changed his grip on the phone when he whipped back around to attend to the chaos ensuing behind him.

Mickey clung to the phone with one hand and hurried into the fray to round them all up as they were all very disoriented by the darkness swirling around them. He reached Kairi first whose shield was beginning to waver, "Kairi, you and Naminé need to stay back!" he gestured to the back of the room nearest the door that Merlin had sealed off. Kairi nodded and grabbed Naminé by the arm and hurried to escort her there while continuing to shield the both of them with another light barrier. He then turned to Donald and Goofy who have managed to gather themselves, "Donald, Goofy, take cover!"

"Mickey! Answer me! What's going on???"

The king turned his attention back to his phone and held it really close to his face so he could be heard over all the noise Sora's mini tornado was making, "It's Sora! You need to come to the castle immediately! You might be the only hope we have!"

"Wait, YOUR castle? What are you all doing there?? What's happened to Sora??"

"Please, Riku! There isn't any time! Sora's not himself! I think you're the only one who can snap him out of it!"

"Mickey, turn the volume all the way up on your phone and point me to Sora. Make it as loud as you can!"

"Um, okay, hold on!" Mickey didn't want to dismiss his keyblade, but Riku seemed to know what to do, so he put his faith in what he was being told and fumbled with both hands to turn the volume settings all the way up on his phone. He then pointed the screen in Sora's general direction and shouted, "Alright, all set, Riku!"

"HEY SORA!!!" Riku's voice was obscenely loud over the phone's speaker. Since it was invented by two chipmunks who had no idea how loud a phone should or should never be, all the phones were equipped with stupidly powerful speakers. It caught Sora's attention immediately and he seemed to be struck dumb as he stopped in mid-air and fell straight down to the floor, the whipping winds and darkness ceasing entirely. But then he realized how close he was to the cornerstone and hissed as he crabwalked to retreat into a back corner. Mickey and Riku watched as Sora howled and hissed while desperately trying to make himself as small as possible in the corner and resorted into curling into an upright fetal position with his hands clamped over his head and his face buried into the wall.

"Mickey, get closer!" Riku instructed and Mickey cautiously obeyed, tip-toeing quite a ways to get to the corner of the room where Sora remained huddle so he wouldn't startle him into attacking again.

As Mickey walked, Riku tired to soothe Sora by gently speaking to him. "Hey, pal. I see you're awake. I guess it's safe to say you're having a bad day. But it's alright. We're still here for you, every thing is going to be fine..." he trailed off into a softer tone, so focused on just Sora that it seemed like he forgot everybody else could hear him too, or maybe he really didn't care. "I'm...I'm sorry...I'm happy to see you're awake. I just wish I was there for you..."

Sora turned his head to stare at the phone in Mickey's hands with his glowing eyes and Mickey froze in place. He was about 15 feet away from the cowering figure. This was probably close enough. He very slowly slid the volume adjuster down on his phone so that Riku wasn't so loud. Riku seemed to be soothing Sora at the very least, so he tried to give it the appropriate level of ambiance.

"But I'm on my way now. Just please wait for me...and then you can tell me what you wanted to tell me last night. Do you still remember what it was?"

Sora looked like he was shivering and let out a pathetic mewling noise that sounded like a wounded animal. He turned to face Mickey completely by immediately had to raise an arm to shield his eyes now that he was directly facing the cornerstone. He howled quietly and clawed at the floor with his free hand, digging deep scratches into the snow-white marble. He clearly wanted Riku badly and Mickey felt his heart break at the sight of it. But somehow, even like this, he resembled his true self a little more than he did a second ago. That was enough for Mickey to gather the rest of his nerve and walk the rest of the distance so he kneel next to the trembling keyblade wielder and gently knudge the phone against the hand that was clawing at the floor. His hand stopped and gently took the phone. He held it rather awkwardly by the top and dangled it next to his ear so he could hear Riku's voice like he wanted to pretend Riku was right next to him. Mickey heard Riku chuckle a little bit before he started speaking a little quieter so it would feel a little more intimate to Sora. "I can't wait to see you..." Mickey could barely hear that but when he did, he wondered if he was now technically eavesdropping but he sat down and pretended not to be paying attention, eavesdropping just a little in case Riku needed him.

His large ears did pick up a couple of things that made him blush and oh wow, he sure was glad the others were on the other side of the room because he was almost certain nobody knew that the two of them had gotten THIS close yet.

Meanwhile, Kairi and the others watched the scene carry out with bated breath, afraid to make any noise lest they startle Sora and make all of Riku's efforts for naught. They were so tense that when Donald started impatiently tapping his foot, that even Goofy wasn't having it and grabbed him by the scruff of his uniform so his loud webbed feet would stop making noise and Roxas swooped in to clamp a hand over his beak so the loud mouth would protest either. The three girls were all clasping hands as they sat on the bottom row of stairs together and tried to keep each others' hands from shaking.

Once Mickey was as far as sitting directly next to Sora, Kairi dared to breathe out a whisper, "Naminé, do you think you can bypass Merlin's barrier? I think you should wait for Riku to land in the courtyard, so you can lead him here faster, you know?"

Naminé gulped and nodded at her, whispering just as softly, "I think so, but I don't know if I'll be able to return to this side of the barrier without Riku breaking it down. If that happens, you and Donald should be ready to repair the barrier as soon as Riku and I are through so that Sora can't escape."

Donald overheard her and nodded up and down in agreement, even with Roxas's hand still clamped tight over his beak.

"Alright, good luck," Kairi whispered and both she and Xion squeezed Naminé's hands in assurance before releasing her so she can try to get through.

Naminé stared for a moment at the powerful barrier and closed her eyes as she concentrated on Riku's bond to Sora. She can trace any connections of Sora's and imagined their bond like a tunnel that connected their two hearts and with that visual, she imagined herself traversing that tunnel to walk to wherever Riku was. As she walked for real, she fazed through the magical barrier as she concentrated with all her might on Sora and Riku's bond, channeling their shared desire to power her ability to tinker with her current reality just a bit so that she can achieve what she set out to do. When she opened her eyes, she found she had walked right through the barrier just like she hoped she would and gave them all a thumbs up before running as fast as she could up the stairs to get to the gummi ship landing area.

All of them returned the thumbs up and resisted the urge to cheer for her before turning their attention back to Sora, all collectively sighing in relief when it appeared he hadn't noticed Naminé leave. Meanwhile, back on the other side of the room, it seemed to Mickey that Riku was struggling to drive the gummi ship while continuing to think of things to say to soothe Sora, so he had resorted to softly humming a sweet melody and it seemed to be working very well as Sora was now resting his head on the wall to his right, knees still pulled up very close to his chest with his right arm so he can hide his face in them while he kept the phone stuck to his ear with his left hand. If this wasn't all so serious, Mickey would've thought it looked really cute. Though the tune was meant for Sora, Mickey felt like it was calming him down too. In fact, he was pretty sure he heard Riku hum this tune before while they were conducting their search for Aqua, but he never asked him about its significance or where he picked it up from. Whatever it was, it clearly meant something very special to the two of them as Sora had stopped making any noises of distress since Riku started humming.

Even though everything felt calm for the moment, Mickey continued to count the seconds until Riku's arrival. He was sure that the cornerstone was still causing Sora immense discomfort but they couldn't afford to take any more risks until Riku gets here.

"You...should..."

Mickey's head snapped up to attention. He swore he just heard Sora speak! But it was so quiet he wondered if he just imagined it. He risked scooting even closer to hear and noticed something catching the light on the surface of Sora's cheek that wasn't obscured by the bulky gummi phone. It kind of looked like blood? Did Sora accidently cut his own face?

"Should...stay...away..." Sora struggled to whisper haggardly. It was barely audible, but apparently it was enough for Riku to stop humming so he could hear him. When he stopped, more soft red liquid streamed down Sora's cheeks. He was crying!

"Should...stay...away..." he repeated.

"Why, Sora? You know I won't."

"They'll h-hurt you. I'll hurt...they'll hurt..."

"Sora..."

"I...can't...won't..." he was really struggling to form words through his sharp clenched teeth and had begun to tremble again.

"Won't what, Sora?" Riku asked softly, though he was afraid of the answer.

"Won't let...you hurt...Would rather...die...and take...them w-with...m-me..."


	8. Fleeting Darkness, Rising Sun

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Riku hurries to Disney Castle. What has happened to Sora? Will he be able to bring him back home? Will they be able to get back before the pizza gets cold????

"Won't let...you hurt...Would rather...die...and take...them w-with...m-me..."

Riku thought he felt his heart stop. The very notion that Sora could ever say such things...it made his blood run cold. His hands shook and he opted to grip the steering wheel a little harder to steady himself.

"Sora...we'll take him on together. I know you're scared and I am too. But we are stronger together than we are apart, right? And even if we still don't stand a chance...I'd rather die with you than live without you," Riku replied softly but with quiet conviction.

A sad moan from the other end of the line gave him the feeling Sora was conceding to the idea that he had no choice in the matter, even if it was very possible that this enemy would try to use Sora to hurt him. They'll have to figure out how to cross that bridge when they get to it. For now, Riku was pushing the gummi ship as hard as it could go while dodging meteors and heartless ships every other second. It figures he has seen very little of this during his entire mission but when he's really in a desperate hurry they all start crawling out of the woodwork. Typical.

It also probably didn't help that the ship was laden with supplies. Chip and Dale were probably going to need to service the engine after this. He was nearly there, though! He just had to get to that one way point and then he'll be able to warp the rest of the way there. All the while, he had the phone on speaker mode sitting in his lap so he could keep talking to Sora. It was really hard to sound calm for him, but he did his best to stay composed because from what he could hear over the phone earlier if he couldn't keep it up, Sora could really hurt everybody.

"I'm only a couple of minutes away, Sora. Just keep holding onto the phone. I'm still here. I won't hang up until I see you, okay?"

He waited for confirmation but it seems like Sora couldn't bring himself to speak anymore. Instead he heard something that sounded between a grunt and a pout. Good enough.

"Okay, good. Don't worry. Just be a little more patient for me, just a little longer. And then we'll do whatever you want. I know Kairi said she wanted to throw you a pizza party. That would be fun, wouldn't it? I'm sure you're probably very hungry."

He listened again and could only hear soft murring on the other end. He may not be very responsive but Riku took that as a sign that Sora was still listening.

He checked the map on the dashboard. Only 20 more seconds until he's at the warp point! For a second, he almost asked Sora to hand the phone back to Mickey so he could ask WHERE in the castle they were, but he stopped himself because he DID just tell Sora to stay on line.

"It won't be much longer now, Sora. I can't wait to see you." As he approached the warp point, the ship prepared itself for light speed and he stuck the phone snugly between his thighs, screen still facing up and held on tight to the steering wheel. He really hated this part! Everything around him got really bright and he suddenly felt a lurch in his stomach as the gummi ship got sucked into a blue portal and suddenly came to a complete halt within a short distance of Disney Castle. He groaned at the sudden stop and checked to make sure he didn't lose contact during the warp jump. How could Sora and the others stand this? Normally he avoided warp points for this very reason, but this was an emergency. He hurried to land the ship in the gummi hangar and ran up the stairs as fast as he could, barely waving hello to Chip and Dale as he made his way to the court yard still keeping his phone clutched tightly in his left hand. He rammed his way through the doors and almost ran headlong into Namine who was waiting in the courtyard for him, "WHOA! Namine! You're here too???"

"Riku! Kairi sent me here to get you! Come on!" she grabbed his right wrist and ran with him into the castle. She wasn't sure what any of the rooms were called so it wasn't like she could give him verbal directions, but thankfully she was pretty quick on her feet. "They're in some kind of room underneath the throne room!" she explained. "Merlin ran off to contact Yen Sid and tell the queen, but he also put a magical barrier up before he left so Sora couldn't escape. We'll have to bust through it when we get there!"

"Right, I think I know what room you're talking about!" Riku ran alongside her, if not a little faster. "Are you going to come in with me?"

"I think I will. Kairi said she and Donald will reseal it as soon as we're through. I can't fight but I want to be there to help Sora if I can!"

"Alright, I'll bust through, but you stay as close behind me as you can," Riku instructed and soon they arrived at the throne room and both of them sprinted the length of the very, very, VERY long red carpet to find the throne still shoved aside with the Hall of the Cornerstone underneath. He signaled for Namine to get behind him and spoke into his phone really quick before stuffing it into his pocket, "I'm here, Sora!" He then summoned Braveheart and took one giant slash against the magical barrier, slicing a giant gash through it and quickly stepping through. He reached behind him for Namine's hand and pulled her through too, because the barrier was rebuilding itself!

He was greeted with quiet cheers from Kairi and the others and he was relieved to see they were all okay. Kairi put a finger to her lips to signal everybody to be silent again and pointed to the far corner of the large room to where Mickey and Sora were still sitting. Mickey had looked up when Riku arrived and motioned for him to walk over. For where he stood, he couldn't really see Sora nor did he get a good look at him over the phone as he was too busy driving the ship and to be honest he was kind of afraid to look anyway, so he only gave the screen passing glances to make sure it was still connected the whole time. Judging by how everybody was still very quiet, he figured he should approach quietly too. He was panting from the sprint but he did his best to calm his breathing and willed his heart to stop pounding so hard as he quietly walked across the room.

As he got closer, he saw the dark figure curled up in the corner and couldn't help but be amused by the way it was holding Mickey's gummi phone next to its head. It even shook it a little and stared at it. Wait, was he still trying to listen for him on the phone? Has he not realized I'm even in here? As he continued to approach agonizingly slow, he wondered how he would approach him without startling him. He thought about reaching him with his heart and used it to call to Sora's as he kept walking. But with every step, he began to feel that something wasn't right. It took too long to get even an inkling of a connection to Sora and the only thing he felt that even signaled that he made any contact whatsoever was a sudden burning sensation in his chest, almost like Sora's heart was on fire and his own got scalded from getting too close. It hurt, but he didn't give up trying as the distance between them got shorter and shorter. Finally, it seemed Sora received his heart's gentle prodding because the spikey-haired figure looked up to stare at him. Riku was still about 15 feet away, but when his eyes met Sora's garish glowing yellow ones he froze in his tracks. This...this was Sora?

Sora seemed just as taken aback as Riku was, but for a different reason. The hand holding Mickey's gummi phone went limp and it fell to the floor. Before the clatter could even be heard, Sora shot up into the air and climbed up the wall again while screeching the whole way. He sounded like a bottle rocket as he went higher and higher where his screeches sounded farther and farther away. The walls still shook, but thankfully not as violently as they did before.

"Wait! Sora! It's me! Come down here!" Riku called out to him with his hand outstretched. "Come on, I told you I was coming to see you and this is how you greet me?"

Sora had hit the ceiling at this point and dug his hand into the wall so he could dangle from it with one hand almost lazily while he stared down at Riku, his eyes gleaming down at him even in the stupidly bright room.

Riku sighed, unsure of what to do. He kneeled down real quick to pick up the phone Sora dropped and handed it to Mickey who silently thanked him and gave him a hug to greet him properly. "Thanks for keeping an eye on him, Mickey. What happened?" he asked, returning the hug but keeping his eyes locked on Sora who continued to just dangle and watch everybody below.

"No need to thank me. Donald and Goofy really wanted to visit Sora, so we thought the three of us would pay a visit to your place. Xion and Roxas told us that they were going to plan a pizza party so we can all catch up. When we arrived, Namine was the one who answered the door and she was clearly distressed. That's when we saw Sora looking like this. I'm not sure what happened before that, but apparently he woke up on his own like this while they were setting up for the party."

"He WOKE UP like this?"

"It seeems that way. Kairi, Donald, and Goofy said they recognized it but didn't know what it was all about. But then Sora kept trying to escape the house. It looked like he was going to try and use dark magic to bust his way out when we kept blocking the doorway. None of our sleep magic worked and dark magic is pretty ineffective in here so I thought this would be the best place to take him. But I think I made it worse. The light just made him more unstable and he seemed to try and use more and more darkness to block out the cornerstone so he could be more comfortable but it was very unsafe for everybody. I told them to take cover and that's when I called you. Donald mentioned that you woke him out of a similar state in your fight against Xemnas. I figured it was worth a try!"

"Luckily you put two and two together," Riku smirked thinking it should've been more obvious to the king to call him FIRST.

Mickey caught onto the little hint of sarcasm and rubbed the back of his head with a sheepish chuckle, "Yeah, well, you're here now. So what do you think we should do next?"

"Well, to me the most obvious thing is to get him down. Be back in a second!" He ran back a few paces and then took a running start so he could flowmotion straight up the wall right after Sora. Mickey ran back a few feet too and craned his head up to watch as Sora saw Riku approach and then made a run for it. The two of them were now sprinting all around the walls and ceiling as Sora tried to outrun Riku. It was so strange seeing the two of them run like this, as Sora was actually running on all fours and using his hands and feet to propel himself faster, leaving bloody tracks in his wake that disappeared within seconds and right behind him and steadily gaining was Riku who was trailing blue and white light behind himself with an occasional black streak as he used dark magic to dash and gain up on Sora.

"Come on, Sora!" Riku shouted at his back. "This is not the time for a race! Don't you want to go home together?"

Sora suddenly stopped on the ceiling and turned to face Riku who also skidded to a halt so he wouldn't run into him. But in doing so, he lost the momentum of his flow motion and began to fall from the ceiling! As he fell for the ground, Riku scolded himself for letting Sora trick him like that. He twisted himself in the air to upright himself so he could land on the floor safely, though the impact certainly made his knees wobbly. As he straightened up, he suddenly felt a heavy weight just crash into his back from above and it shoved him flat onto the floor. Sora had decided to jump down and use Riku as a landing mat and made no motion to get off of him as Riku lay flattened beneath him on the floor, growling indignantly.

"Very funny, Sora. What, you win a race one time and you think you can mount me? Don't let it get to your head!" he used his arms to shove himself up and knocked Sora off to then roll around to get on top of him and pin him down. He panted hard and his muscles were heaving from all the running but he kept a firm grip on Sora's wrists. Finally, he allowed himself to look at Sora properly. He was black all over but his skin reflected a blueish hue and his eyes glowed like those of a heartless. He still appeared to be wearing the robe-like pajamas that they dressed him in back at his place, but now they were black too with neon blue flame patterns on them. From what exposed skin he could see on Sora's collarbone that wasn't covered by his crown necklace, he could see thin blue neon lines that look like they're in the same places he remembered Sora having injuries and they were especially prevalent the further down he looked. He gently moved his hands on Sora so he could see his wrists and forearms and saw there were more blue lines that looked like blue cracks in his otherwise inky black skin. Again, they resembled his wounds, as if the darkness all over his body was a shell and the lines wre the cracks inflicted upon it by the trauma he had received from Xigbar and the mysterious man. It was alarming and he also noticed he wasn't wearing any bandages whatsoever. Maybe they fell off or something. If Sora were to change back right now, would his wounds open back up? He didn't bring any bandages with him to wrap him up in!

"Sora..." he whispered softly. "Can you close your eyes for me?"

The dark figure beneath him who was still squirming this whole time against Riku's grip stiffened deathly still when he heard Riku speak and seemed to stare into his very soul for a few very long seconds before finally closing his eyes. Frankly, Riku was relieved that they could even close. Now that they were, the brunette's features felt a little less alarming. He tested moving both of Sora's wrists above his head so he could grip them in one hand and keep them pinned gently but firmly to the floor. His limbs were stiff, but he wasn't struggling, so Riku felt safe in using his now free hand to pull open the front robe flap of his pajamas to see how his chest wound looked. At the exposure, Sora whined and shook beneath him, squirming a little bit in his grip but Riku held him firmly and shhhed soothingly while his hand continued to open his shirt up. "Shhhhhh...you're alright, just keep your eyes closed for me. Don't open until I tell you to. I promise, I won't hurt you." Finally it was open enough for him to look. He was surprised to see a large blue heart symbol etched into his chest flanked by flaming blue wing patterns and through the very middle of the heart symbol was a bright blue gash with a sliver of black in the center of that. As expected, it resembled his chest wound but something else was off. He peered closer at the black crevice, expecting to see a red glint like the real wound currently has but instead he saw nothing but a very fine red mist coming out of it. If he weren't staring so closely he would never have noticed it. It reminded him of steam in the way that it dissipated when it drifted away from the black hole in his chest. As if this wasn't all strange enough, where's Sora's heart?

Sora was growling with impatience now and gave Riku a rough warning wiggle. "Okay, okay, I'm sorry, I get the hint!" Riku huffed, though he was mildly amused by Sora's antics. There was no doubt in his mind that Sora could throw him off right now if he really wanted to. Perhaps talking to him on the phone before he got here helped him mellow out enough. Otherwise if he had just come in here with keyblade raised, it could've been a really big struggle and then where would they be? He didn't really want to think about that now. For the moment, he was agonizing over what he should do. He glanced around and could see Kairi, Mickey, and the others have all gathered at the exit and were all quietly watching him in anticipation, looking to him to make the next decision. He sighed and leaned his face down so it was just a few mere inches from Sora's and he felt the body beneath him tremble as his breaths softly cascaded across his face, eyelids twitching as they struggled to stay closed. Riku closed his own eyes and asked his heart what he should do because his brain was still fretting over what would happen to Sora's body once it changed back. As he listened, he realized more than anything he just wanted to see Sora and they will figure out what to do next TOGETHER. He smiled to himself and opened his eyes; he knew what to do now. "Time to wake up now, Sora," he said softly before leaning his head down the rest of the way to gently press his lips to Sora's in a tender kiss.

He could've sworn he heard Sora gasp but at the same time, he couldn't hear anything. It was like time had stopped as he kept his lips on Sora's and waited for any sign of reaction. What he felt was a familiar vibration in his chest, the burning sensation fading into a familiar warmth accompanied by the sweet sound of a nostalgic melody. He then felt Sora's lips get warmer beneath his and then pucker and press back against him. He opened his eyes and pulled away to see Sora staring back at him, no longer cloaked in darkness. His half-lidded sapphire eyes gazed shyly into Riku's now watery teal ones while a blush began spreading quickly across his cheeks. It was the most beautiful and welcoming sight Riku had ever seen. He choked back a happy sob and released his grip on Sora's wrists, opting to quickly get off of him and scoop him into his arms to hold him tightly instead. "Good morning, Sora," he greeted as he buried his face into his spikey locks so nobody could see the tears falling from his eyes.

Sora giggled happily and returned the squeeze as best as he could but ended up just letting himself sink into Riku's chest instead. "Good morning, Riku," he giggled through his own tears.

Both of them broke down into happy fits of teary giggling that echoed in the brightly lit chamber which now felt brighter than ever. Their laughter fit caused an eruption of joy from the other side of the room and both looked up to see their friends stampeding toward them to completely bury them in a huge group hug!! It was complete hugging chaos for a few minutes as they all took turns welcoming Sora back with hair ruffling, hugs, and even a couple of cheek kisses, the room echoing loudly with their expressions of joy and excitement at their friend's return. It felt like forever before they all settled and the brunette was allowed to catch his breath. Rike decided it was about high time they got off the floor and assisted Sora as he got them both to stand. In the process, he quickly pulled Sora's robe closed and tightened the sash to securely hide his chest wound from view of everyone, including Sora himself. "While this room is fun and all, I think it'd be better if we took this little celebration back to my place as originally planned, what do you say?"

Everybody shouted YEAH! in unison and Sora giggled while keeping his weight leaning heavily on Riku who then remembered that now was probably a good time to give Sora his gift. "But first, Roxas," he turned to look at the blonde teen, "Could you run to the gummi ship for me and grab the bag that's in the cockpit? There's something I need to give Sora before we get going."

Roxas gave a half-frown at being given orders by Riku, but since it was for Sora, he begrudgingly nodded and ran as quickly as he could to the gummi hangar.

Everybody looked a little confused, especially Sora, but Mickey bounced a little as he figured it out. "So you did manage to complete your mission today! That's great news!"

"Mission? Oh right, you mentioned that last night," Sora giggled.

"Oh good, so you remember that part," Riku grinned.

"I mean well...I remember other things too..." Sora stammered.

Xion, Namine, Goofy, and Donald looked between them with mild confusion. Donald spoke up first, "WAIT! Do you mean you have been awake before this and you didn't tell us??"

Sora laughed, "No, of course not, at least...not longer than two seconds, I don't think..." his smile began to falter as his eyes turned away to stare at the floor. Riku felt Sora's nails dig into his hip as he tightened his grip and shifted his arm around to wrap around Sora's waist to support him better while also giving a gentle extra squeeze to comfort him.

This only served to confuse and frustrate the court magician even more to the point he was shouting almost mournfully, "Then how were you talking?!?"

"Ahyuck!" Goofy chuckled proudly as he understood, "Dontcha remember, Donald? Riku became Sora's dream eater during their mastery exam. He must've been checking in on Sora's dreams the entire time he was asleep to make sure he was okay! Right?"

Riku nodded. It was getting easier and easier to see why Mickey chose him to be the king's captain. "That's right. Since our new enemy had attacked Sora while he was in the sleeping realms, I didn't want Sora's mind to be vulnerable while he was recovering."

Donald still looked pretty upset despite the explanation and glared at Riku with his arms crossed.

Riku let out an amused chuckle, "Fine, if it makes you feel any better, last night was the only time we directly spoke. He didn't really know I was even there the entire time up until that point."

This seemed to cheer Donald up and he began laughing, "Hahahahaha...yup, that's Sora for you."

"Hey!" Sora raised a fist in mock indignation. "Give a guy a break! I don't even know how long I've been asleep for!"

Riku stiffened and turned his head away while he gripped Sora's hip a little tighter. Where was Roxas with that package already?

"I'm back!" a voice called from the throne room upstairs but it was still a few long seconds before Roxas actually arrived at the top of the stairs and returned with the parcel. He handed it to Riku and bent over with his hands on his knees while he caught his breath. "How...do you get around in this castle...Your Majesty?" he asked with a hint of an annoyed growl in his voice. "Why is everything so big? You're ti--I mean...you're not that tall!"

Mickey chuckled apologetically, "I know, I'm sure it seems silly. But as king, I want all my subjects to feel comfortable when they come to see me, no matter how big or small."

Roxas groaned and straightened up, "I guess, but do you really have subjects that are 50 feet tall?"

"Actually, even taller than that. He has to duck his head a little to get through the door, but the actual ceiling seems tall enough for him," Mickey answered matter-of-factly, not realizing the question was rhetorical.

"I'm sorry I asked," Roxas chuckled. "So anyway, what is that thing, Riku?"

Kairi answered for him, "It's that chest plate I mentioned to you guys earlier, the one they made for Sora in Olympus?"

"That's right, you did mention that!" Xion recalled while poking Roxas in the side for not remembering and he playfully swatted her hand away.

"Wait, what?" Sora blinked in confusion at the cloth bag and tilted his head up to look questioningly at Riku.

It was then Riku realized how awkward this all was. He wasn't sure how to proceed next without making it feel weird with all their friends there, but thankfully Mickey came to his rescue. "Hey, fellas! How about we all leave them alone for a sec and check on Merlin and the gummi ship?"

"Yes! We need to make sure Riku didn't destroy the supplies while he flew here," Roxas teased.

Riku huffed, "Hey! What makes you think--"

"We heard you over the phone. What'd you do, take a shortcut through an asteroid field?" the blonde snickered deviously. He sees the way Riku's holding onto Sora, so he was going to push his buttons extra hard so he's all nice and flustered before they leave the two of them alone. Bwahaha.

Before Riku could even retort, Xion already took it upon herself to shove Roxas toward the exit. "Come on, you, there's work to be done! The sooner we get going, the sooner we can have our pizza!"

The rest of the gang followed after them up the stairs with Mickey in the rear, "We'll be in the courtyard when you two are ready!"

"We'll be there shortly," Riku promised before turning his attention back to Sora. "Here, how about we get out of this room, first?" he suggested. "Can you walk?"

Sora attempted to stand without assistance but his legs seemed to immediatley turned to jello and Riku almost dropped the parcel in his haste to catch him before he fell. "WHOA, easy, easy. It's alright, I'll help you." He draped Sora's arm over his own shoulders to hold onto while he wrapped his free arm around his torso and shouldered both of their weight and slowly walked the both of them up the stairs. With every other step, Riku could hear Sora wincing beside him but the brunette didn't say a word the whole time as he seemed to be focusing every last bit of concentration he had on getting his feet to move up the stairs. It was very slow-going, but Riku patiently kept pace with him, not minding one bit. He couldn't wait for a chance to hold Sora for real later, but this was nice too for the time being. His heart was still fluttering with joy at the very fact that Sora was even awake, let alone walking and not covered in bandages. Although he was clearly still not at his best, he was really a sight for Riku's sore eyes...

Finally, they made it to the throne room and Riku checked around real quick to make sure nobody else was in the room before guiding Sora to sit on Mickey's throne. Though he complied, Sora still gave Riku a look to which Riku replied, "Hey, I won't tell if you won't." To which Sora giggled and Riku found himself giggling too. Once they both quieted, he returned his attention to the task at hand. "Sora...you remember when we last spoke...I said you were still in really bad shape, but we thought you were okay to go a doctor to get checked out?"

Worry began to creep into Sora's face but he nodded. "Well, when Kairi woke me up this morning, that turned out not to be the case. Not that you weren't better than the previous night, but it still seemed too risky to let you wake up. I'm sorry if you were disappointed. That wasn't our intention. I also heard from Kairi that you woke up and..." Riku swallowed hard before he could continue, "Well...she said it wasn't a fun time. I don't know if you remember. Honestly, I sincerely hope you don't. Point is...that is...I mean to say..." Riku found it harder and harder to get his words out and his cast his gaze to the floor as it became too hard to even look at Sora. For weeks he thought about what he would say or how things were going to be when they woke Sora up, but he couldn't have imagined it turning out anything like this. Why was this so hard? Why was he so scared to speak?

Sora could see him struggling and reached out to cup Riku's cheek and gently force the silver-haired teen to look at him again. "Riku...please...what is it?"

Riku leaned into the soft touch and laid his own hand on top of Sora's, his eyes watering up again as he looked back at the brunette. It wasn't fair how cute he looked when he was worried. To him, Sora was practically glowing compared to how he looked while he was asleep. He never thought he could love Sora more than he already did, but in this moment he realized there really was no limit to how much he could love him and it was a little scary how wonderful it felt to know that. He could feel his heart pounding in his throat as his ever-growing affection for his best friend threatened to overwhelm him and found it getting increasingly hard to speak normally, "Let me ask you this, first...are you in any pain?"

Sora tilted his head and tried to smile but he couldn't force himself to lie to Riku because really there was no point. Riku would see right through it. "I am...but it's not as bad as...how it felt earlier."

Riku felt a pang in his heart and leaned closer to press his lips to Sora's temple in apology. "So how bad IS it now?" he pushed gently while he nuzzled Sora's hair.

The shorter teen was enjoying the little affectionate touches very much so he was easily coerced into answering honestly. "Parts hurt but parts are also numb. It's really hard to describe. But if this afternoon could be defined as a 10, I think I'm wavering between a 6.5 and 8.5," he answered thoughtfully.

Riku blinked and straightened to look at Sora again, "That's a bit of a range and still really high. When does it go down to 6.5?" If there's anything he could do to keep Sora as comfortable as possible, he wanted to know right away. He expected him to say something like it hurt to stand so sitting was easier or something along those lines. What he didn't expect was for Sora to start blushing.

"Well...uh...I certainly feel a lot better when you're close to me," he bashfully grinned while his eyes crinkled closed in mild embarrassment.

Riku also felt himself begin to blush but that didn't stop him from grinning coyly. Unable to resist, he leaned in real close, just baaaaaarely grazing his cheek against Sora's while he turned his lips towards the delicate shell of his ear and breathily murmured, "So you're telling me it feels better when I'm touching you?"

The blood rushed to Sora's face so fast Riku could feel the heat rising against his own face even though they still had about an inch between them. He grinned deviously to himself but before he could tease him any more, Sora rapidly shook his head and Riku backed away a little while the poor teen attempted to pull himself together. "Yes, I mean, I don't mean, what I mean to say...OH COME ON, RIKU!" he whined, flailing his fists comically.

Riku struggled to contain his laughter. It was all so adorable and funny, and even though he was joking he also didn't want Sora to think he was laughing at his feelings. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry. You're right, that was mean of me. Heh. But anyway, the reason I ask...well, there isn't an easy way to say this and I know I'm going to be asking for a lot, but I want to please trust me."

"Of course, Riku," Sora said, returning to a more serious tone.

"Okay, so there are huge places of your body that were damaged. They were taking a long time to heal because darkness had found its way into your wounds. We found a way to extract a lot of it, but it's been a long work in progress. There were two areas that were especially worrisome and I bet that's where you're feeling the most pain at the moment."

"My chest...and something radiating from my lower back. It feels like something sharp is eating its way through me and sending waves of pain in all directions. Like I can feel it crawling up my spine and down my legs, but then I also feel numbness like in my wrists and ankles. But it all feels like it's coming from my back. Isn't that weird?" Sora looked down at his hands but Riku quickly tilted his chin back up.

"It's extremely unusual," Riku corrected. "But we're going to help you until you feel like yourself again. I don't want you to have to worry about that. This time it's different from all your other setbacks. There is no pressure for you quickly get back to 100% because Xehanort is gone now. We're all sticking by you and supporting you through all of it, me especially. The drawback, I'm afraid, is that you might not feel like you have any privacy, at least not for a while longer. The process it takes to heal you is very extensive. But from what I can see, somehow your transformation has healed you like A LOT. I'd almost say half your injuries are gone but I won't know until we get back home. This is where I must ask you for a favor."

Sora was reeling from all of this. He was trying to take it all in, but he was very distracted by the feeling that Riku was building up to something that was somehow bigger than the fact that darkness is eating him inside out. "And what would that be?" he asked.

Riku took a deep breath and finally pulled the gleaming chest plate from out of the bag and held it up for Sora to see. "I want you to put all your trust in me. I sincerely need you to please let me take care of you, in fact I'll even go as far as to say I'm BEGGING. I know it sounds strange, but I really mean it when I say this requires 100% of your trust and cooperation. Because what I'm asking you to do is that under absolutely no circumstance will you ever look at your own chest without my say so or until it's completely healed."

Sora was so busy gawking at the shiny piece of armor presented before him that he didn't immediately comprephend the severity of what Riku was asking of him. Riku waited patiently and watched Sora's face as he put two and two together. Finally, Sora asked a question, "Wait, how can I possibly be expected to do that? How could I do things like I dunno...BATHE for one thing without looking at myself?"

"I'm going to do all those things for you," Riku stated bluntly.

"WHOA WHOA but...but Riku...that's too much. I'm sure you have good reasons, but...I can't ask something like that of you. It's too much...it basically means you would have to be around me like all the time." Sora looked at him with a pleading look, as if silently asking Riku if this really was necessary.

"I have no problem with that whatsoever. I know it's asking a lot, but it's important. Besides, you may feel embarrassed, but I've basically been doing those sorts of things you're thinking about for you anyway while you were asleep. You have nothing to be embarrassed about, nor should you be worried. I've gotten really good at all of it." Riku smiled, intending to reassure Sora, but the other teen's face just turned tomato red instead.

"Okay okay okay okay," Sora took a deep breath and ran his hands through his hair as he tried to gather his thoughts. "Look, I'll be honest, I don't understand how this could possibly work, but I trust you. In exchange, I promise I won't look. I guess after all you've already done for me, the least I can do is avoid the temptation."

Riku's face brightened, which confused the hell out of Sora because he couldn't see why catering to Sora's every need would make Riku so happy. But his smile did make Sora feel a little less guilty about the whole arrangement, so there's that. "Thank you, Sora," Riku smiled warmly and gave him a quick affectionate kiss. "I promise everything will be alright. Just believe in me. But don't think for a second this means you're getting off easy. Your road to recovery is going to require a lot of effort from you. But at least I can help make it all a little easier on you. Nobody should ever have to go through this alone."

"Riku...I don't even know what to say..." Sora began sniffling, now feeling really overwhelmed.

"Hey, it's okay. It's going to be alright," Riku chuckled and kissed both his cheeks where tears were threatening to fall. "We're going to get through this together. And then after this...maybe we can focus on other things..."

"Other...? Oh!" Sora smiled happily, holding back his tears but now they're trying to escape through his nose. "Yes! That'd be...that'd be...*sniff*...so...so great. *sniff* I'm ready. I'm ready. Let's get started! So...what's next?" he pointed at the chest plate.

"So THIS is a gift from Hercules. The wound on your chest leaves you very vulnerable and frankly it's delicate. So to protect it while it heals, you'll be bandaged up 3 times a day and you'll wear this on top. This way you should be able to move normally without worrying about hurting yourself. I can't guarantee that it will ease your pain, but at least it shouldn't get worse. Zeus had his own blacksmith forge it for your personally. It's supposed to be so light you'll almost forget you're wearing it after a while. It also flexes and has straps so you should be able to move without any trouble and finally, it's very tough and imbued with light...to further protect you."

"Wait, so you really did get to see Olympus? And you got to meet Hercules and his dad? I'm so happy you got to meet them!"

"Heh, yeah, they send their well wishes. In fact, you and I will be going back to visit them sooner than you think. In the meantime, though, I'm going to need you to close your eyes and try not to squirm too much while I get this on you. We need to hurry or they might leave and eat all the pizza without us."

"Wait, we will?? You and me? You mean we'll finally get to see other worlds together? Wow! Well when you put it that way, not looking at my chest now seems like one heck of a deal!" he closed his eyes and couldn't help grinning giddily. Just thinking about spending every day with Riku AND exploring his favorite worlds with him made it so much easier to ignore the pain that continuously coursed through him.

Riku was all smiles as he shook his head at how adorable Sora's enthusiasm was. It really wasn't fair for him to be this cute. He reached for the sash on Sora's shirt and began disrobing him. "I mean it, don't squirm and don't you dare open your eyes. It's really important."

"Okay, I promise, Riku. But if you try to tickle me, I can't guarantee I won't pop you in the face," Sora warned but the threat wasn't very convincing since he was shuddering as he felt Riku's hands delicately open his shirt and lower it down his arms. He shivered but kept his eyes tightly closed. "How does it look?" he asked.

Riku wasn't sure if he should answer right away. He dug into his pocket for the one length of emergency gauze he had on hand but it was only enough to cover his chest for the time being. The rest will have to be taken care of back home. He studied the wound for any signs of improvement, but he didn't see any. There was definitely a lot less scarring on the rest of Sora's upper body, but he did see very faint purple lines that reminded him of the ones on his own injured left wrist. They were barely noticeable on Sora, but they were definitely the ones that were lighting up blue when he was in his rage form. To be fair, Sora also hadn't been on the beach in a good while. Maybe they'll be completely invisible once he gets some sun back on him. He also observed that the red glint in the middle of Sora's chest that wasn't present before had now returned, much to Riku's relief. After looking it over, he decided he should wrap Sora like he and Kairi have been doing and had Sora spread his arms while he quickly began wrapping him up. It was so much faster now that Sora could at least keep himself upright and move his arms on his own. It was almost no time at all before he picked up the chest plate and began fitting it to Sora. It was as easy as helping Sora put on a tank top as he pulled it over his head and guided his arms through the arm straps and then he worked to adjust said straps. "Let me know if it's too tight. Take a few deep breaths and tell me if it hurts." Sora complied and Riku adjusted it as necessary, while committing the strap adjustments to memory so he can put it on Sora much faster in the future. "Okay, you can open your eyes now. How do you feel?"

Sora looked down and wiggled his necklace up and down to make sure the two weren't going to clink against each other because one, he didn't want to damage his precious keepsake and two that would be super annoying. He found that it fit him almost too well, like it matched the contours of his actual pectorals way too perfectly. "I feel very...manly!"

Riku almost spit as he broke into laughter, "Wh-what's that supposed to mean??"

"Well, look!" Sora pointed at his chest and it took Riku a minute but yeah, he could see why Sora would choose that word. Sora might not have been as buff as Riku, but he certainly had nice chest and torso definition and the custom-fitted plate just further accentuated it. It fit him so well that it looked like it could have actually been a part of him. If not manly, the only other word that he could think of was handsome. But manly definitely worked.

"No, you're right. I see what you mean. But...it looks really good on you."

Sora blushed, "Th-thank you...for the gift...umm...I...I don't know how to close this shirt. What am I even wearing?" He tried to close his own shirt up but he was so flustered that he could only fumble with it.

"Oh, sorry!" Riku helped assisted, showing him how the sash wrapped around and such and made sure to wrap it nice and snug. "That better?"

"Yeah...but I'll be honest, I can't wait to get back into my own clothes. I mean these are cool pajamas, I guess, but I feel like it's kind of see-through. Is that just me?"

"Wait, really?" Riku took a couple of steps back and Sora stood up properly so the light from the room could fall on him properly. Sure enough, Sora was absolutely right! In the highly polished throne room, light was easily penetrating through the airy pajama fabric and you could absolutely see the outline of Sora's well...everything. "Oh...oh...um...here, let me give you my jacket," Riku began to fumble to take it off as he began to feel incredibly bad.

"Wait, so it IS see-through?" Sora almost screamed and patted down his thighs to find he was commando beneath the bottoms. The top at least went down mid thigh, but that didn't comfort him that much. He gasped and buried his face in his hand. "Omigosh, do you know how bright that room downstairs is? What if the girls saw...??? Do you think they saw??"

"I'm so sorry! I honestly had no idea!" Riku apologized as he dressed Sora in his own jacket which on Sora was long enough to cover what he needed to cover after Riku zipped it up for him. "Your room had no windows and it was dimly lit so you could sleep easier. There really is no way I could've noticed. I don't think anybody else noticed either or we wouldn't have dressed you in them every day."

"Stop stop stop, Riku! You're making it worse! I don't want to think about that!" Sora howled with embarrassment and started padding across the red carpet to make his way for the door but still had his face in his hands.

Riku followed after him, amazed at how Sora's embarrassment was enough to make him flee even though he was unable to even stand a few minutes ago. "I really am sorry! If anything, you can blame Kairi and Namine! They picked them out so it'd be easier to--"

"I don't want to hear this now! LA LA LA LA LA LA LA!!" Sora screamed and stuck his fingers in his ears to block Riku out. He didn't want to think about all of that. It was too much. TOO MUCH! NOT NOW!

"I'm sorry, I'll shut up!" Riku caught up with him and grabbed his hand. Even if it left nothing to the imagination in a decently lit room, Riku thought Sora looked pretty cute so he had no regrets, especially now that it's lead up to Sora having to wear his jacket, which was SUPER cute on him...mostly because it was clearly too big.

Sora slowed down when Riku grabbed his hand and he was still fuming but he couldn't stay mad for long and squeezed it back. As they started walking together, Sora suddenly stopped, "R-Riku...I don't feel so good..." Sora began shaking really hard and Riku acted fast to help lower him down to his knees so he wouldn't fall over.

"What's wrong? Is it your legs?" Riku looked Sora over and tried to steady him with a hand on his shoulder. "Don't worry. You've been in bed for a long time. I'm amazed you've been able to walk this far on your own. Not to mention...you haven't eaten a real meal in a long time. Come on, I'll carry you. We'll stuff you full of pizza and you'll feel like yourself in no time!" he promised and scooped him up bridal style before Sora could even protest.

"W-wait, Riku, are you sure?" Sora stammered, though he didn't really mind being carried this way.

"It's not that far to the court yard. Besides, it'll be faster than having you lean on me. Besides, don't act like you're not enjoying it," he smirked while he leaned back to kick the small throne room door open with his foot.

"Hehe, yeah, you're right," Sora grinned cheekily and decided to take advantage of the situation by nuzzling into Riku's chest, which was now only clothed in a white v-neck t-shirt so he could even more of Riku's warmth through the thin fabric. This just kept getting better and better!

The action wasn't lost on Riku but he only huffed and rolled his eyes while his cheeks turned pink, choosing not to say anything as he carried Sora down the long halls and down to the courtyard where almost everybody had gathered to wait for them. Sora glanced around doing a silent head count, "Where are Donald and Goofy, your majesty?"

"Aw, don't worry, Sora! Since there are so many of us here, they offered to drive the gummi ship back to Riku's place with the supplies and the rest of us will be teleported there with Merlin's magic," Mickey explained.

Riku couldn't help but be relieved that he didn't have to drive the gummi ship any more tonight. He's had enough of space travel for one day. "Great. We're ready when you guys are!"

"Quite, quite," Merlin muttered and started herding them together with his cane, "N-now scooch in together, everybody. I'm only going to cast this once. We don't want anybody getting left behind now, do we? All together? Alright. Well off you go, and have a good night!" Merlin waved them off with a twirl of his cane, all of them waving good-bye and saying their thank yous as a blue cloud of magic fell on them and whisked them back home. When the cloud cleared, they were all outside Riku's house and they could see somebody was inside the house through a silhouette cast on the curtains.

Kairi then gasped, "Oh no! Sora, your mom! She was coming to see you, too!"

Xion and Namine gasped, "She most be so worried!" they said in unison and hurried to open the door so Riku could carry Sora inside first.

Before the rest of them could even set foot into the house, they all heard her scream and the door suddenly slammed behind Riku. They all looked at each other in collective shock before hurrying to go in after them only to find that Sora's mom was so overjoyed to see Sora awake that she had yanked Sora away from Riku and was now hugging him tightly and sobbing hysterically on the floor. It wasn't the most dignified greeting Sora had ever had, but he let his mother continue to try and cradle him like a baby while she sobbed and ran her hand through his untidy hair. "My baby, my baby...you're awake...my baby..." she sobbed.

"I'm okay, mom. I'm sorry I made you worry..." Sora whimpered, trying to not cry as his mom coddled him on the floor. Today had been so emotional already, he wasn't sure how much more of this he could take. "I love you, mom."

"I love you too, Sora. I'm so glad you're okay...BUT DON'T YOU EVER DO THAT TO ME AGAIN!" she shrieked before peppering Sora's forehead with kisses.

"HA AHAHAHAA!! OKAY OKAY! I won't!" Sora giggled as his mom playfully tried smothering him with mommy smooches. "Hehe. So...I heard you were bringing ice cream?" he asked hopefully.

"Not until you've had dinner!" she said, finally letting him up and looking at the others. "Hello, everyone!"

They all said hi or waved awkwardly as they had all been watching their reunion with mixed reactions. The girls were unable to hold back their tears. Mickey suddenly remembered that Sora's mom doesn't know anything about what he looks like, so he snuck back outside before he could be seen and waited on Donald and Goofy so he could tell them to hold back so they don't all scare her to death. Roxas felt a little mortified for Sora's sake but then even he felt his heart melt as it played out and had to excuse himself to "get something out of his eye".

Kairi hurried over to give Sora's mom a hug, apologizing profusely for scaring her. The poor woman had apparently come to see them and found the pile of pizzas just sitting on the porch and when she brought them inside, she saw Sora's bed empty, the room trashed, and panicked when she couldn't find anybody in the house. She had been waiting there ever since praying for them to come back and that nothing was wrong.

Riku really felt bad for her. This probably reminded her of the last time Sora had disappeared from bed without a trace. He couldn't imagine having to go through that as a parent one time, let alone nearly have it happen twice. "I'm sorry we scared you. Apparently everything happened really fast, but we're all here now, so let's all enjoy ourselves, right?"

Everybody cheered, "Right!" and the woman giggled before joining in, "Right!"

Meanwhile, back at the beach...

"We got everything in through the back door, your majesty! Can we eat now?" Donald asked.

"Fellas, I'm afraid I'll have to treat you to dinner back home. I think Sora and his mother have had enough excitement for one day. We can visit with him properly another time," Mickey explained.

Donald's posture saddened, but he nodded, for once not arguing. "You're right. He should spend time with his muzzer," he wiped the front of his beak, sniffling with disappointment, but he knew this was for the best. Besides, Sora was sure to visit them soon anyway. He always does.

Goofy patted Donald on the shoulder and smiled at the king. "It's fine, we'll see him soon. Besides, we forgot to bring something for the party. It's rude to show up at a party empty-handed."

Mickey chuckled, "You're right. We'll have to do better and remember to bring a cake next time!"

They all laughed and turned to wave good-bye toward Riku's house before hopping on the gummi ship and flying back home.


	9. Pizza Dinner, Ice Cream Dessert

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The kids enjoy time with Sora's mom. Sora has his first meal in a month and they top it off with ice cream. Sora and Riku share a bed together for real this time.

Sora had requested he get into some different clothes before they started the party, still having not forgotten how exposed he felt back at the castle. Apparently Sora's mom had some of his stuff there already ever since they decided should recover there, but they never used them because of the afforementioned inconvenience. Kairi insisted that maybe he should just keep wearing Riku's jacket, since it looked so comfy but it was getting a little too warm and he'd feel bad if he got pizza on it. If it were his own clothes, he wouldn't care, but Riku's, that's a different story. However, this meant they had to go to Riku's room for a second and Riku decided this was a good opportunity to bandage up whatever they hadn't covered before.

Sora sat on the edge of Riku's bed, now dressed down to shorts and his chest plate while Riku inspected him all over. The night had gotten cold and it felt like Riku hadn't had the heat on anywhere else in the house. He had goosebumps everywhere and couldn't help shivering. "A-are you nearly done?"

"Almost. Why, are you cold?" Riku prodded his lower back, earning a flinch from Sora.

"Ow! Yes, I'm cold. Why don't you have the heat on?"

Riku grabbed a roll of gauze that Kairi had blessed earlier that day and began wrapping it around Sora's middle. His lower back was beginning to look a little more purple and the skin had started to break so they couldn't delay bandaging him up any longer. "Well, my parents are away on another fishing expedition. And we've all just been sleeping in your room so I figured there really wasn't a need to waste money on heating the rest of the house."

"Oh right, it's bluefin season...wait, you've only been sleeping...so none of you have really left my side the whole time?" Sora glanced down at his hands after Riku had finished wrapping him up and wrung his fingers together. The thought of them constantly looking out for him suddenly made him feel so warm and happy. But his hands felt cold.

"Well of course, Sora. You're our friend," Riku smiled and placed a sweet kiss on Sora's temple. "Does that feel better? Are you hurting anywhere else?"

"Yeah, that does feel better. My ankles hurt a lot, but not like the rest of it. More like the same soreness from running a marathon. I think I'm more worried about my wrists. They hurt really bad on one side but feel numb on the other and it's hard to move my fingers. They feel so cold."

"Well, you did run on the ceiling a lot after a month of being in bed, so you'll probably feel it in your knees soon, too," Riku chuckled. "But let me take another look at your hands." Sora held them out and Riku took them into his own, "Jeez, Sora! They feel like ice!"

"I told you it was cold in here!" Sora whined.

"Yeah, but it's not THAT cold. We've only been up here for a few minutes!" Riku sighed with exasperation and tried warming them with his own hands.

Sora giggled and couldn't stop smiling as Riku kept his hands clasped between his own...they were so warm. Finally, he felt like he could feel some of his fingers again. "Thank you, that does feel better," he said quietly, giving them a test wiggle and gently tried gripping Riku's hand back. He then frowned as he still had difficulty getting them to do what he wanted.

Riku didn't miss the frown and squeezed Sora's hands to assure him. "Your wrists could probably use a little support for a while longer. They were also in really bad shape when I got you back home," he explained and began wrapping them up, but Sora pulled them back.

"Wait, I want to see something!" Sora struggled to stand up, but Riku stopped him by the shoulder. "Please, just one second."

"I know what you want to do. But I'd prefer if you waited until tomorrow. It's not the time to push yourself. Please, tomorrow I promise we'll do whatever you want. But for now, let me help you," Riku insisted, gently retaking Sora's hands and setting them back down in his lap. "Please?"

Sora sighed and gazed into Riku's gleaming teal eyes. "Alright, you win. Tomorrow, though, promise?"

"Absolutely," Riku smiled and resumed bandaging him from his wrists up to his elbows and then around the wrists again, not too tightly, but just enough that Sora felt like he had more support. "How's that?"

Sora rotated his forearms a couple of times and gave his fingers a little wiggle. At least they didn't hurt as much anymore. "A lot better! Thanks, Riku!"

"Anytime!" he offered a hand up. "Can you stand?"

"Yeah, I think so!" Sora took Riku's hand and the stronger male pulled up to stand, but just as he started putting his weight on his own two feet, he felt a stabbing pain shoot up his spine and radiate down his legs. "AAAGHH!!!" he cried out and fell into Riku who quickly caught him and sat him back down on the bed.

"Are you okay?!" he asked and seeing as how Sora still seemed wobbily, he cradled his head and helped him lie back on the bed. "What happened?"

Sora was breathing hard through his nose as he waited for the pain to subside. "Hoo...hoo...I...I'm fine. I just need a minute."

Riku leaned over the bed and ran a hand through Sora's hair until he seemed more relaxed. There was a knock on the door and Kairi's voice called from behind it, "Everything all right? We heard a scream."

Riku looked down to Sora who nodded that he was fine. "He's just a little sore. We're almost done here. Just another minute!"

"Okay, well you better hurry. The others have already gotten started on the pizza. Do you want me to grab some for you before it's gone? Veggie for you and pepperoni for Sora?"

Sora laughed, "Yeah, that'd be great!"

Kairi chuckled. "Alright. See you in a minute! Don't dawdle or it'll get cold."

They heard her walk away and looked at each other with a chuckle. "Since when have you liked veggie pizza?" Sora asked.

"It's grown on me. Maybe if you ate some veggies every now and then, you'd grow too," Riku teased and poked Sora on the nose.

Sora snapped his head up to try and bite the poking finger but missed, "Very funny. I've gotten taller!"

"I'm not getting into this again," Riku laughed and stood back up, grabbing the navy blue sweat pants and black t-shirt from the nearby nightstand.

"You're the one who brought it up!" Sora pouted as Riku began slipping on the sweat pants for him. He huffed and sat back up, grabbing the shirt so he can do it himself.

"Do you need any--"

"It's alright, I got it," Sora insisted and fumbled to slip it on. It took him a little longer than normal as his hands were still not cooperating, but he got it!

"Great!" he then leaned down and scooped Sora up into his arms to carry him out. "Let's go, I'm hungry."

Sora didn't bother protesting and wrapped his arms around Riku's neck. "Onward to pizza!"

. . .

Back in Sora's room, everybody had finally settled in. Since a few of their number weren't participating anymore, Sora's mom decided it'd be okay to join them for dinner. They had gone back to the original plan, which of course was to sit next to the fire and enjoy each other's company while the small selection of pizzas sat in the center for them to grab from. Xion, Roxas, and Namine have already gotten acquainted with Sora's mom and were laughing along with her as she told stories of Sora and Riku's misadventures when they were little. The three held onto her every word. Even though Namine already knew most of it, she enjoyed hearing it being told from the perspective of Sora's mother. Her eyes lit up and crinkled just like Sora's when she spoke and she had the same sense of humor to boot. Occassionally as she told a story, she made funny faces while imitating the things Sora or Riku had said whenever they got in trouble and it would leave them all in stitches.

Kairi was laughing with the rest of them, as some of these events happened before she came to live on the island. She's heard a couple of the classics from Sora's mom before, such as the time they both locked themselves in the neighbor's dog cage by accident or how they went fishing and brought home nothing that was edible and it stunk up both of their houses for a week, but it always so much fun to hear her tell them again.

Even Sora and Riku couldn't help but find them entertaining, even if some of them were a little embarrassing. They would chime in with some of their own details and contributed to the storytelling. Though a lot of the time, Riku would add something about Sora that she left out and vice versa. Such as with the fish story.

"Riku said those fish were edible!" Sora insisted. "His parents are fishermen!"

"Yeah, and technically they were. A lot of things can be edible if you cook it right. Besides they only stunk because YOU poured the water out of the buckets when they got too heavy for you to carry," Riku pointed out.

This continued on until the pizza was all but gone. The whole house echoed with laughter for hours. At some point after they cleared away the pizza, Sora's mom brought out the ice cream bars with the new mystery flavor.

One bite of the bright blue ice cream and they all instantly exclaimed, "SEA SALT ICE CREAM!" which startled Sora's mom a little. She took a bite, "Salty...no, sweet!" The observation earned a giggle from everybody. "Wait, so you have all tried this flavor before?" she asked with a pout.

Sora was licking happily, "We've tried the flavor elsewhere, but Freezy Timmy captured it really well! I think it's even better!"

Roxas snickered, "I think you're only saying that because it's from your home town. We'll have to bring some back from Twilight Town and do a taste test. Maybe your mom can try it since she's a neutral party."

She laughed, "I'd like that, Roxas."

Roxas smiled happily, a little tinge of gleeful pink appearing on his cheeks, "So does Freezy Timmy's always come out with new flavors?" He really was enjoying the homemade, hometown taste of the ice cream.

"Oh yes! You should all check out the shop sometime. They have a wall with over 50 flavors! But while I was waiting in line for this one, I heard that this one is from a special collaboration with somebody named...Scrooge McDuck? Apparently he's some kind of eccentric millionaire or something."

Sora nearly choked while taking a bite of his ice cream and sputtered hard, earning a few pats on the back from Riku and Kairi. "Chew your food, Sora!" Kairi scolded.

Sora's mom laughed, "It seems to be a big hit. So I hear it's probably going to be a permanent part of the menu."

"As it should. It's the best flavor ever," Xion giggled, finishing up the last of hers. The rest of the teens chuckled and finished up theirs as well. They all checked their sticks and found jokes written on them. They were the usual bad puns and knock knock jokes, but Sora's mom got a winning ice cream stick for a free ice cream.

Just as Sora was reading his joke about a duckling walking into a bar, there was a knock at the door and Riku rose to answer it. "Sora, your dad's here!"

"Dad?" Sora looked up and saw Riku lead a taller man into the room. He was still wearing his brown work fatigues and had a little sawdust in his messy dark brown hair from the workshop and smelled faintly of varnish. Upon seeing Sora he froze and his dark green eyes crinkled up like he was about to cry. Sora couldn't contain himself and forced himself to stand up and he felt the stab in his back again, but wouldn't let it stop him, half-hobbling over to his dad as his left leg went numb. He didn't stop, though, and quickly traversed the ten feet to his dad and gave him the biggest hug he could muster. "Dad!" he sniffed and buried his face into his father's middle, inhaling the nostalgic scent of his work clothes that smelled of the wooden boats he spent every day working on.

The elder squeezed him back just as hard and leaned his head down to kiss Sora on the top of the head and pat his hair adoringly. "You gave your mother and I quite a scare, boy."

Sora laughed sheepishly and pulled back to smile at him, "I'm sorry, dad."

"I bet you got the other guy good, though, didn't you?" he joked and ruffled his hair.

"Oh...y-yeah, you bet."

His dad laughed and ruffled him harder, "Don't worry, you'll get him next time."

"Hopefully there won't BE a next time," Sora's mother had stood up and gave him a little glare. Which had the man backtracking a little bit.

The two of them looking at each other sheepishly before Sora's dad nodded, "I mean of course." He cleared his throat and looked down at Sora and spoke in a mock tough-guy dad sort of voice, "Now son, don't you do that again." He waved a finger at him as if scolding him.

Sora snorted then looked at his mom's face and eeped before looking back at his dad and replied in a younger-sounding voice, "I won't do it again, daddy!"

"Oh you two!" Sora's mom sighed and crossed the room to pull Sora into a hug while he chuckled. She pulled away ruffled his hair too. "We should get going. Are you going to stay here tonight?"

Sora looked at the two of them while trying to ignore the throbbing in his body. "I-I think I should stay with Riku for a while longer. He and Kairi seem to know what I need for the time being and I promised Riku that I'd..." he trailed off.

His mom chuckled and his dad pat him on the shoulder, "Say no more. Your mom and I had this discussion a while back when they brought you home. It's been hard, but we get that your friends understand the situation a lot better than we could. After we saw all the effort they put into building this place for you to heal, we knew you were in good hands. So take as long as you need...and then you get your butt back home, do you understand?" He said that last part in his mock tough-dad voice.

Sora smiled broadly, "Yes, sir!"

"Good man," his dad chuckled and gave him another hug good-bye. "I'll take your mother home now so you kids can party for real," he winked to the rest of the teens who laughed and waved good-bye.

Sora's mom waved at them too, "You kids be good. Don't be strangers now!"

"Bye!" they all waved and they all watched them leave for home on Riku's porch.

When they were out of sight, Namine let out a large yawn and Roxas checked his gummi phone for the time. "Oh, shoot, our ride's going to be here any second."

"Oh, Axel's picking you up?" Kairi asked.

Roxas nodded, "I told him Riku should be back at 10 so to pick us up at 9:50."

Riku scoffed, "Of course you would."

"Heeeee," Roxas stuck his tongue out at Riku and Namine playfully bopped him on the back of the head.

Sora looked between the two of them but shrugged. "Well, thank you guys for today. I'm sorry if I--"

"Don't worry about it!" Roxas bumped him in the arm with his fist. "You worry about getting better and then we can all have a real party."

Sora nodded, "You got it."

Namine and Xion gushed and hurried over to give Sora their good-bye hugs. It was just then that a dark portal opened up on the porch and startled the hell out of Riku who summoned braveheart. "Oh, it's you." he straightened and dismissed his keyblade just as quickly as he summoned it, earning a swat from Roxas on the arm.

"Didn't I JUST say Axel was coming? You need to chill out!" Roxas scolded.

"Hey now, it's fine! I should've come in through the back. I figured it was late enough that I--WAIT! SORA! YOU'RE AWAKE??" Axel leaned to look behind Riku who had jumped in front of Sora by reflex.

Sora waved at the redhead from behind Riku, "Hey, Axel! Yeah, I just woke up today!"

Axel looked at Roxas and the girls, "And WHY did you neglect to tell me this?"

Roxas groaned and grabbed his wrist, "Look, it's a long story, everybody's really tired, we should get going. I'll tell you all about it once we get back home."

Axel huffed but nodded, "Alright, alright, let's go." He nodded to Kairi, Riku, and Sora, "Good seeing you three. I'll call you later, Kairi...after I get the details out of Roxas."

The female redhead giggled, "Okay. Good seeing you, Axel. We'll all get together soon."

"Of course. Good night, you three!" he gave a little salute and escorted the three teens through the darkness portal to take them back to Twilight Town.

Kairi, Sora, and Riku waved them off and once the portal disappeared, Kairi yawned too. "I should get home, too. I don't want my father to worry. Do you guys need anything before I leave?"

Riku shook his head, "No, we should have enough supplies for now. Are you coming back tomorrow?"

"Definitely. Should be late afternoon, though. Tomorrow's family breakfast," she reminded.

"We'll see you then. Thank you, Kairi," Sora said, now leaning heavily on Riku.

Kairi smiled and reached to give Sora a long hug. "I'm sorry today was so rough. But I'm so glad you're awake now."

Sora returned the hug, "Thank you...I'm so glad to see you're okay."

Kairi pulled back, now getting teary-eyed. "Of course. OH! Before I go!" she reached into her pocket and pulled out two identical little paopu cell phone charms. "I made these for you two. I wanted to make one for each of us to celebrate the three of us being together again!" Both boys took their respective charms and thanked Kairi. The charms were so cute and looked yummy enough to eat. "I should get going. Sleep well, you two!" she waved and made her way down the road to her house before either of them could offer to walk her home.

They waved until the couldn't see her anymore and Sora felt the last of his strength leave him. Riku caught him just as he felt his legs crumble beneath him. "Keep it together, I got you. Let's go inside and get you ready for bed." Sora stiffened as they entered the house and Riku closed the door behind them. "What is it?"

Sora looked toward the room he apparently just spent a whole month sleeping in. Without all their friends in there, it felt too much like a hospital room. Plus he feels like he JUST woke up. He wasn't too eager to go back to sleep.

Riku saw him gazing at the other room and understood. "Let me put out the fireplace and we can go to my room. I'll turn the heat on. We don't have to go to sleep right away either if you don't want to."

Sora brightened and leaned against the wall while he waited for Riku to put out the fireplace and tidy the room a little before helping him walk to his childhood bedroom. He helped Sora sit down on the bed and hurried over to adjust the thermostat. Immediately, Sora could hear the A/C unit groan and heard the warm air traveling through the vents. He felt the floor warm up beneath his feet and smiled gratefully. He looked up to see Riku had already changed into some dark green pajama bottoms but kept the white t-shirt on. He caught Sora staring and froze midway through undoing his left gauntlet. "What?"

Sora shook his head, "Nothing. Just...it's been a while since we all laughed like that together. I feel bad that Mickey, Donald, and Goofy left without saying good-bye, though."

Riku nodded and removed his gauntlet the rest of the way, flexing his fingers. His wrist was healed over the experiments they did to help Sora, but the newly healed muscle was a little weaker than his right one so it still felt a little stiff sometimes. "Well, I'm sure they didn't want to scare your mom. We'll see them soon enough, I'm sure."

"You're right," Sora smiled. "Probably couldn't really face the king right this moment anyway. I'm sure I gave them all quite a scare."

"Well that's been par for the course lately, so I wouldn't worry too much about it." He chuckled and sat next to Sora. "You doing okay?"

"Yeah...I'm really tired, but I don't want to go back to sleep. I worry that I won't wake up or that this has all been a dream."

"Well as your dream eater, you can trust me when I say that this is all very real and that you are awake. And I promise you will wake up in the morning," he assured as he wrapped an arm around Sora's waist and pulled him close.

Sora leaned into him and rested his head on Riku's shoulder. "What a weird day..."

"You can say that again. But like Kairi said, I'm kind of glad it happened," he tilted his head to rest it on top of Sora's, nuzzling his spikey locks.

"I think I want to lay down..."

Riku smiled into his hair, "We can do that." He pressed a kiss to Sora's temple before getting up and helping Sora scooch along the bed. Now that it was warmer, Sora opted to not where the sweat pants anymore and peeled them off to set them on the end of the bed. Riku pulled the covers over him and joined in after him. It was full-sized bed with just enough space for the two of them but they schooched in pretty close together anyway. Once Riku settled in behind him, Sora who had just closed his eyes suddenly opened them again, just now realizing he and Riku were about to share a bed together and his heart started pounding like crazy.

Riku was already beginning to feel really tired as soon as his head hit the pillow but he noticed Sora started breathing funny. "Sora?"

"It's nothing!" he answered back a little too quickly. "Good night!"

"Good night...?" Riku raised an eyebrow at Sora's back. "Wait, do you have to go to the bathroom or anything?"

Ah, yes, that probably would be a good idea, wouldn't it? "Umm...yeah, I do. Heh. Sorry."

Riku chuckled and got up to help him walk to the bathroom. "You got it from here or do you need me to--"

"I got it!" Sora blushed and closed the door quickly, earning a laugh from Riku who left him to sit back down on the bed.

After a good 20 minutes, Riku got worried and knocked on the door, "You alive in there?" He meant it jokingly but heard no answer. "Sora?" he knocked twice and after no answer he began to panic. "Sora, I'm coming in!" he warned before swinging the door open.

Sora had successfully done his business, but when he went to wash his hands he felt an itch on his back and scratched behind himself. When he pulled his hands back after scratching just a little beneath the gauze he pulled them back to see them covered in a black liquid and he panicked. He'd been trying to scrub it off ever since and had to sit on the floor after he exhausted himself from standing up too long. Riku saw him sitting there staring helplessly at the awful stuff coating his hand and hurried to grab one of the white linen towels that Kairi had prepared for Sora's bath time from the top cabinet and hurried to wipe Sora's hands. "What is this stuff?" Sora asked.

"We're still figuring that out. But our guess is it's darkness that's stuck inside your body. It's why you've been taking so long to heal even the smallest scratches. But we figured how to get it out, mostly. Where did this come from?" Riku asked as he wiped Sora's hands clean and tossed it toward the sentient metal trash can that had taken refuge there during the party. It opened its metal lid mouth to catch it and gulped it down hungrily with a metallic-sounding belch.

Sora saw trash can eat the towel and shook his head, not wanting to process that right this second. "I scratched my back," he explained. "I was a little itchy."

"Oh...yeah, you shouldn't touch the bandages. They're pulling the darkness out of you and if you touch them, the darkness will just stick back onto you. That's why the trashcan eats it, so nobody else can get contaminated."

"That's...weird," Sora made a face. But all seemed to be well now and Riku picked him up again to take him back to bed. Once they were all settled again, Sora turned to snuggle into Riku. "I'm so glad I have friends like you to help me through his. I know for sure I wouldn't have been able to handle this on my own."

"To be fair, Sora, I don't think anybody could," Riku pointed out and yawned widely while wrapping an arm around Sora and getting settled in.

"So what happens tomorrow?" Sora asked before yawning as he rested his head in the crook of Riku's arm.

Riku closed his eyes and mumbled, "Probably breakfast..."

Sora smiled and let his eyes drift closed, "Yeah...breakfast sounds nice..."


	10. Whatever Lies Beyond This Morning, Is A Little Later On

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sora has a nightmare that reminds him of some very valuable information. King Mickey returns with a gift for Sora. Both boys decide it's time to start hitting the open skies.

Sora could hear the ocean. He was on a beach, but not one he's been to recently. The large cascading stone structures and white sands told him that these were the shores of the Dark Realm. How did he end up here? He looked around but didn't see any heartless nearby. He looked down at his clothes and he was wearing what Yen Sid had given him before his latest adventure. "I must be dreaming..." he concluded. Knowing it was a dream calmed him and he watched the calm waters with a feeling of nostalgia. He could remember from this very spot is where he and Riku rested after their fight with Xemnas. "Hm, I remember how we decided we would just stay here together once we thought we could go no further. If that door hadn't shown up, I wonder if we'd still be here at this very spot?" he wondered aloud.

"Doubt it!" a voice called out from behind him.

Sora whipped around to find Xigbar glaring from the darkness behind him. He took his stance, ready to summon his keyblade. "What do you want?" he spat.

"I heard you haven't been a good little boy. That just won't do!" the sniper mocked, seemingly unperturbed as he kept walking closer to Sora.

"You stay back!" Sora warned and summoned his ultima keyblade. "I've had enough of you! One more step and I'm finishing you off for good!"

"Oh you will, will you? Only in your dreams, kiddo!" Xigbar sneered.

"Oh riiiiiiiiiiiiiight," Sora smirked, stopping Xigbar in his tracks for a moment. "This IS a dream. So you're right, I can't finish you off for real. But this will certainly be good practice!" He charged forward and lunged at Xigbar who teleported to a nearby rock structure and aimed his guns at Sora.

"Since when did you ever get mad, kiddo?" he called out before shooting several rounds at Sora.

Sora blocked every single one and ricocheted them back at Xigbar who took a couple of hits before he teleported away in time to aim from another spot. "You know, you suck as a sniper!" mocked Sora as he flowmotioned up the stone pillars to get another shot at the fleeing target.

"Ouch! Why do you say that?" the pony-tailed man asked with feigned offense as he jumped from his new perch to aim more shots at Sora.

Sora deftly dodged and air-stepped toward Xigbar, "Because you talk too much!" he yelled just as he sent a blow with his keyblade across Xigbar's chest who fell flat to the ground.

"OOF! I'll...try to remember that," Xigbar grinned even as he struggled to sit up.

Sora didn't give him a chance, though. He used his Ultima Limit Break and the ground lit up with archaic symbols that swirled around Xigbar and summoned many swords and pillars of light that sent themselves through the former Organization member's body over and over and over. Once it cleared, Sora couldn't even see the man anymore. Was he gone?

"Nice moves, kid!" he shouted from behind Sora before giving him a huge shot through his lower back.

"AAAAGGGGGHHHH!!!" Sora howled in pain before his keyblade disappeared and he fell face-first into the sand. He couldn't move and his back felt like it was on fire! "YOU ROTTEN--!"

"I guess you CAN'T beat me in your dreams," the sniper crowed as he lowered himself onto the ground from where he had teleported back and loomed over him, giving the teen the biggest shit-eating grin he could muster.

Sora hissed through gritted teeth, "What do you want?"

"You know very well what we want," he rolled Sora over with his boot and kneeled to poke Sora in the chest to remind him.

Just the simple poke sent pain splitting through his chest and he cried out in pain again! "STOP IT! I told you, you're not getting it!" He could barely raise an arm to swat his hand away.

Xigbar laughed at his pathetic swat but he did stand up. "Sorry, kid. But one way or another my Master will get his hands on your heart and finally my task will be complete."

"Who is he? Is there anybody you AREN'T a lackey to?" Sora hissed as he tried to get his other limbs to move.

"Starting to get a mouth on you! About time. Must've gotten that from Roxas," he cackled. "But no, CORRECTION. I'm not his lackey, I'm his APPRENTICE. Get it right. And he is known as the Master of Masters."

"Master of...Masters? As in...Keyblade Masters?" Sora winced as he managed to prop himself up on his elbows.

"And even much more than that!" Xigbar grinned proudly while he watched Sora struggle.

"So you're an apprentice but you don't have your own keyblade? That's pretty messed up," Sora pointed out.

"That's enough story time for now. I was just here to ask when you were planning to get off your butt. Your boyfriend has been off doing all your work for you!" he sneered.

"Shut up! YOU did this to me, and now you're going to complain??" Sora shouted, finally pulling himself up, but he still can't move his legs. Why was this happening? He didn't even get hit that hard!

"Oh come on, so I broke a few of your bones and probably your back and definitely shish-kabobbed you a few times. Like you're going to let a few little things like that stop you?"

"CAN IT, XIGBAR! What have you been doing to the other worlds?" Sora demanded.

"The name's Luxu, kid. I told you that!" he indignantly kicked a little pile of sand into Sora's lap. "Why don't you ask your buddy all about it? I'm sure he'd loooooove to tell you. Or...he might just put you to sleep again so you don't find out."

"What are you trying to say??" Sora growled.

Just as Luxu opened his mouth, a roar came out from behind him sliced him in half from head to toe and he disappeared in a puff of dark whisps. Riku had flown in with bat wings attached to him and his eyes were gleaming as he snarled with pointier-looking teeth. Once the threat was gone, he looked to Sora and separated from Komory Bat and Meow-Wow. Said bouncy good boy hopped over to Sora and started licking his face with worry.

"Are you okay?" Riku asked, hurrying over to kneel beside Sora while Komoroy bat fluttered around them, also clearly very worried.

As Riku knelt beside him, he felt the pain intensify about a hundred fold. "AAAAAAAAAAAGHHHH! I DON'T WANT TO BE HERE!!!"

Sora shot up in bed, immediately blinded by a ray of light that was coming in through a gap in the curtains of Riku's room. He winced and raised his hand to shield his face but the movement sent a spike of pain up his spine. "AGH!"

Riku stirred from his sleep and sat up just as quickly, "Are you okay?"

"No--I mean...yeah, I guess I'm fine," Sora quieted as he took several breaths to calm the pain that creeped throughout his body. "I think I'm ready to get up. I'm tired of sleeping."

Riku nodded in understanding. "How about a bath before we have breakfast? That might help," he suggested.

Sora was wiping the sleep from his eyes with one fist, "Yeah...yeah that sounds good."

Without any other warning, Riku stood and scooped Sora up again. Sora supposed he better start getting used to this. He yawned into Riku's chest as he draped his arms over his neck and wondered why Riku holding him didn't hurt his back at all. Riku tightened his grip and took soft steps to the bathroom in Sora's room because it was the only one equipped with the stuff he needed. It resembled more of a modern asian bathroom with a shower head and drainage hole in the floor with a huge bathtub against the far wall. Merlin really did pull together the best for Sora's care and all of them really appreciated it. He pulled up a stool for Sora to sit on with his foot and gently sat Sora down and began undressing him when Sora swat his hands away playfully insisting he could do some of that himself. But of course, when it came down to his shorts, he hesitated. Riku had already stripped down and stood behind Sora, getting the bath ready while he called the trash can over so they could dispose of Sora's bandages. "You done yet?" Riku asked.

"I mean...I guess?" Sora turned and saw Riku and blushed scarlet, quickly turning back around to stare at his feet.

"What?" Riku asked. "Oh come on, like you haven't seen me naked before."

"N-not since we were kids, Riku! Jeez, warn a guy, would you?"

"Like what you see?" Riku joked, but it just earned a squeal from Sora who clamped his hands over his eyes.

"Come on, Rikuuuuu!!" he whined, earning a laugh from the other teen that echoed against the walls of the bathroom.

Riku grabbed a strip of cloth from the counter and removed Sora's hands from his face to blindfold him properly.

"I mean...you don't have to blindfold me, Riku. You are nice to look at..." Sora protested guiltily.

Riku chuckled and kissed the tip of Sora's nose. "It's so you don't see your chest, dummmy. And thank you."

"Oh...oh yeah," Sora blushed even harder.

Riku undid the chest plate for Sora and began the process of unwrapping the bandages, tossing them to the loyal trash can who Sora could hear clanging on the floor as it gobbled up the tainted gauze. He then felt Riku's hands delicately pull his shorts off and shivered from gentle touches. The hot trails of his fingers seemed to eradicate the pain he felt wherever they touched. He then heard Riku say, "You're nice to look at too."

"Riku..." he could feel his whole body getting hot. But that was quickly extinguished when he felt warm water cascade down his body from the shower head. "Wait, wait, I think I can do this myself!" he protested.

Riku frowned, but he supposed there are some things Sora could do for himself. He had to remember that the brunette will probably protest a lot of things now. But he couldn't blame him. This wasn't new to Riku, but this was very strange for Sora. He had to think back to how this felt for everybody in the first few days of his treatment. Most of them felt weird about it for a second but pulled themselves out of it because they cared about him so much. They had a mission to help their friend and vowed to do whatever it took. So yes, he bathed Sora and Roxas did whenever he could. He was so used to carrying him around that it felt second nature and it distressed him so much when he felt him get lighter and lighter as the month dragged on. Now Sora was awake and laughing and talking again. He wouldn't let himself get frustrated with him, not for a second. "Alright, do everything but your chest and I'll scrub your back," Riku compromised and squirt a blob of shampoo on Sora's head. "Get to it."

Sora giggled and lathered up his hair, letting Riku rinse it out for him. He held out a hand and Riku gave him a wash cloth that again was blessed by Kairi so any darkness that had crawled onto his skin would be absorbed by it. While he did that, he could hear Riku washing himself behind him and couldn't help imagining what he looked like while doing so, all foamy and wet and...wait, should he be thinking about this? He could already feel a hot stirring in his lower stomach and did his best to shove those thoughts away. There will be plenty of time for that later. "Riku...were you in my dream last night?"

"Huh? Oh, yeah...you were thrashing so I checked up on you. It seemed that jerk was giving you a hard time again."

Sora felt a hand on his shoulder and he reached to put his hand on top of Riku's warm one. "He said his real name was Luxu and he was serving somebody called the Master of Masters. I remember...during the real fight, them talking about that. I guess my dream was reminding me, for some reason."

"If it is, your heart must think it's important. We'll tell Master Yen Sid about it later. He might be able to find some more information," Riku squeezed his shoulder and knelt down to gently scrub Sora's back, who murred happily at the sensation.

"Do you think they're really out there harrassing the other worlds?" he asked, a little disappointed when Riku stopped scrubbing his back and felt him move to his front to gently wash around the stinging area on his chest.

Now that Sora was awake and talking, Riku was finally allowing himself to take in the sight of Sora. It didn't seem right before to notice how sculpted his arms and chest had become or how slender his legs were but now he was finding it hard to not stare. He snapped himself out of it, though, as Sora was asking some serious questions. "If they have, they're being very subtle about it. Most of my missions have been about wiping out some stragglers, the usual local variety. I haven't seen anything too unusual." After he was satisified that Sora was clean enough he tossed the cloth to the trash can who nommed it up greedily and looked back to Sora. He rinsed the rest of the soap foam from him so he could finally get a good look at his injuries. He muttered a cure spell under his breath to see if there would be any change and he watched the black slit in Sora's chest close up marginally. His eyes lit up with excitement as finally, there appeared to be some progress! He was so happy he could almost cry. He looked up to Sora's face and realized the poor guy had no idea what was going on as he was still blindfolded. He wanted to tell him, but a beep from the bath tub interrupted him that indicated the bath was ready.

Sora's perked up at the noise, "So are you going to get in the bath with me?"

"I can if you want," Riku grinned.

Sora grinned too, even if he couldn't see Riku smiling he had a feeling he was. He raised his arms to signal he was ready and Riku scooped him up, earning a giggle from Sora as Riku cautiously walked to the tub and stepped into it. He lowered both of them down and Sora eeped at the temperature of the water but once they both sunk down, Riku laid down and Sora positioned to lay on top of him, the tub deep enough for both of them to be submerged as they lounged inside. Once they were settled, Riku wrapped an arm around Sora and caught himself looking down to check out Sora's rear end which was barely under the water. Dyamn Sora had a nice butt. He gritted his teeth as the blush stained his face and distracted himself with using his other hand to brush some of the hair out of Sora's blindfold.

Sora was thoroughly enjoying himself as he laid on top of Riku. The way Riku had propped himself up in the bathtub allowed him to keep his head rested on his chest while the water flowed over him like a blanket. He could hear both their breathing amplified in the bathroom and listened to Riku's steady and strong heartbeat. As they lay in the bath, both had closed their eyes and just enjoyed the bath together as they felt their worries slip away. Sora found that it really was true that he felt less pain the closer he was to Riku as laying on him like this had reduced his pain from a seven to a nagging two and a half and it continued to decrease as he felt his own heart beat in rhythm with his best friend's. It wasn't long until he swore he could hear a familiar tune in his ears and couldn't help humming along to it. Riku began humming along too and the combined sounds of their humming just seemed to melt all of Sora's pain away.

It wasn't until Sora's stomach gave an angry growl that the two of them stopped. Riku looked at Sora and snickered while the brunette buried his face into Riku's pectoral sheepishly. "Hm, maybe it's time we had breakfast," Riku suggested. After getting a nod from Sora, he had the other sit up so he could get them both out of the tub. He stood Sora up and dried off the rest of him before making quick work of wrapping him up in bandages again and attaching his chest plate. He then removed Sora's blindfold and offered him another towel to dry his hair with after tossing the other contaminated towel to the trash can again. Sora blinked in the light and opened his eyes just in time to see the small trashcan gobble up the towel stained with a tinge of black. "How many towels did you guys go through while I was asleep?" he wondered aloud.

Riku was busy drying himself off and paused thoughtfully before deciding he really had no idea. "Well, our friends at Radiant Garden have been generous with the supplies. I haven't really stopped to count."

"Wait, you mean Leon and the others?" Sora asked just as Riku tossed a pile of fresh clothes at him for him to awkwardly catch before they hit him in the face.

"Yup, and Donald's nephews chipped in the potions and ethers. Speaking of, do you want to drink the potions today or do you just want them dumped on you?" he asked.

"Wait, what? I guess it depends on how many?"

"Three every few hours," Riku stated bluntly. "And a round of cure spells in between that."

"Oh jeez. Um...I guess dump them on me for now. I can't chug potions on an empty stomach."

"Coming right up!" Riku opened the glass mirror cabinet and pulled out the potions one bye one, dumping them on Sora's head who squirmed at how cold they were. They disappeared quickly as they absorbed into Sora's skin so he wasn't wet for long.

"Phew...wow, my knees actually feel better!" Sora observed as he stood with a little less trouble.

"That's great! Do you think you'll be able to walk around this morning?"

Sora shoved his head through the red t-shirt he was given and zipped up his beige cargo shorts. "Yeah, I think so!" His stomach growled loudly again and he whined.

Riku laughed and finished pulling on some jeans and a white tank top before ruffling Sora's damp hair and walking with him to the kitchen. "Here, I'll make breakfast and you can tell me what you want to do this morning."

Sora sat at the kitchen table while he watched Riku get busy. He rested his chin on his palm and got distracted by the way Riku's muscles seemed to bulge even more now that he was wearing a tank top. "Did your muscles get bigger?" Sora asked before he realized he was speaking out loud.

"What? Well, I guess so. Probably from carrying you around," Riku smirked.

Sora flushed with embarrassment. Ever since he woke up he was either too quiet or saying the wrong things out loud. He had gotten used to screaming and not being heard. The blush didn't stay on his face for too long, though. After all, Riku was his boyfriend now, right? He shouldn't be afraid to tell him he looks good. Unless...that part was a dream? But they've been kissing, so...?

Riku turned to ask him how he wanted his eggs but saw his face screwed up in thought. "Eggs for your thoughts?"

Sora looked up, "Oh um, scrambled?" He grinned, totally not hearing the question, just the egg part.

"Okaaaaay, and?" Riku egged on as he scrambled them with his spatula.

"I guess...I was wondering...you and I, we're a thing, right?" Sora asked. "I didn't just dream that?"

Riku blushed and turned around to put the eggs back on the burner and check on the bacon. "Well, yeah. We're a thing, as you put it. I didn't tell anybody else yet, though. I figured you would want to be here with me to tell everybody when you were ready."

"Aw...Riku...," Sora gushed and walked over to Riku to hug him from behind.

Riku smiled as he felt Sora press himself into his back, "Careful or the grease might get you."

"I don't care," Sora said, muffled by Riku's shirt. "I love you."

The taller teen turned off the burners and turned to return Sora's hug. "I love you too, Sora," he replied and leaned his head down to give him a sweet kiss. "But you're not getting out of doing the dishes." He turned him around by the shoulder and gave him a playful swat on the butt. "Now sit down so I can finish cooking."

"Hey!" Sora giggled and ran back to sit at the table. As he waited, he looked back at his hands and his smile fell as he wondered if his hands could even work well enough to wash dishes without dropping them. Would he even be able to eat? A plate with eggs and bacon and two slices of toast was slid in front of him, interrupting his thoughts and he thanked Riku as he opted to use the fork he was given to just slide the eggs and bacon onto the toast and eat it like a sandwich. He could eat pizza last night, so he figured this would be a lot easier. He was very pleased with himself for thinking of a solution as he nommed his makeshift sandwich. Maybe things won't be so bad after all. He just needed to rethink how he did things while he recovered.

Riku caught sight of the sandwich-making but didn't call him out on it and instead made a mental note to make things that were easier for Sora to eat. He did mention his wrists were hurting him last night so handling a fork and knife were probably still difficult for him. He too was proud that Sora thought of a solution, though he did feel a little guilty about not thinking of that.

"Ish so good, Riku!" Sora complimented, his face full of breakfast.

Riku laughed and reached to poke his chipmunk cheek. "Swallow your food before you talk."

Sora did gulp it down and Riku poured them both a glass of orange juice which he also chugged down greedily. "Heeeeeeeee! It's all so good!"

"Hah, food must taste a lot better after not eating for a month," Riku pointed out.

"Yeah, that may be it. But it really does taste good, Riku," he beamed, making the other male blush a little.

"It's no big deal," Riku insisted, but he did enjoy the praise nevertheless. "So we still have a few hours until Kairi gets here. Anything you want to do before then?"

Sora swallowed the rest of his meal and took the dishes to the sink where he rinsed everything and flubbed around with the soap for a second before getting a good grip on the sponge and began scrubbing. "Hmm...I want to try summoning my keyblade. Just for a second. I want to see if I can hold it. And I wanna walk around the island! Maybe we can get some ingredients and you and I can make some yummy food for a party later. I want to see everybody and thank them!"

"Heh, easy there, Sora. Maybe you should worry about seeing everybody once you can walk like a normal person. I can already see you leaning over the sink," Riku pointed out as he came behind Sora and put his own dishes into the sink. This time it was his turn to hug Sora from behind while he worked.

"Heh, yeah, maybe. But I still want to try summoning my keyblade," the brunette insisted. After he set the dishes on the drying rack and dried his hands off, he turned to lean into Riku. The warm embrace giving him the strength to stand better. "Unlesss...you don't think I should?"

"I believe you can do anything you want to, Sora. But I just don't want you to be disappointed. You've only been awake for a day. So even if you can only summon it for a second, you should be really proud of yourself."

Sora nodded, "You're right. So come on! Let's try it!"

After they finished washing and putting the dishes away, they ventured outside to Riku's backyard which was more of a mini beach than a yard. During high tide, the water came within a fair distance of his house, but that's why most of it stood on stilts. Plus, the area gave them a little bit of privacy so Sora could try out his keyblade in peace. He had to lean on Riku to get out there, but once he had his feet firmly rooted in the sand, Sora gave a thumbs up and tried summoning his keyblade but hesitates. He looks to Riku for encouragement who gives him a nod and he holds his hand out to summon his Kingdom Key. It worked but it felt heavy in his grip and he fell forward, sticking it in the sand to prop himself up on. "It's so heavy!" he huffed with frustration.

"Well it has been a month..." Riku gently reminded.

"Yeah, well I slept for a whole year and could still swing it around!" Sora spat back a little harsher than he meant to.

Riku didn't miss a best, however, and walked over to place a reassuring hand on his shoulder. "Yes, you did. Remember? All three of you struggled until Mickey got there and told you to get on the train."

"Hmm...yeah, but still..."

"Look on the bright side! You still have all your other skills, right? At least you're not starting completely over like last time."

"Yeah, I guess so."

"Think of it this way. You're on vacation. You shouldn't need to use it anyway," Riku offered, brushing the hair out of Sora's face. "You'll get there, trust me."

Riku's confidence in him gave Sora confidence and he nodded with a smile. But something was still nagging him. "What if they show up and I can't defend myself?"

"Well, you still have magic, right? I think you can grip the keyblade like you are now and still channel it, right?" he suggested.

"Yeah...yeah you're right! I guess there is that!" Sora grinned even wider, feeling loads better already.

"But...let's not try that here," Riku chuckled.

"Wasn't gonna!" Sora stuck his tongue but secretly he wasn't surprised Riku figured out what his next question was going to be. He sat down on the sand with a flop and dismissed his keyblade. His legs already giving out, but he pretended he just wanted to stare at the ocean.

Riku sat next to him scooched in close. "What else is on your mind?" he nudged Sora gently. The brunette wasn't very good at hiding when things were bothering him.

"It's just that last night...was he real?" he turned his head to look at Riku.

"No, I didn't sense anything like that from him. It seems like you were trying to remind yourself of something and if the information you said about him being named Luxu and stuff is accurate, then I say you did a pretty good job. That's not an easy thing to do, I would imagine...remembering all of that stuff after what you've been through."

"Hm, thanks I guess," Sora stared back out at the ocean. "What...what do you dream about, Riku?"

"Me? Well...I'm not sure. I don't think I've done a lot of dreaming on my own lately," the silver-haired teen hummed in thought.

"Well, what about before all of this?" Sora prodded.

"When we were kids? I couldn't tell ya. I can't really remember. But I'll be honest, most of the time I'm glad I don't. But the ones I do...you're usually in them."

"Aw, really?" Sora leaned his head against Riku's bicep.

"Yeah, really," Riku reached for his hand and held it in his own. "And speaking of...remember the dream from the other day? You said you wanted to tell me something?"

Sora blushed so hard Riku could feel his temperature rise on his arm. "Well, it's kind of silly now. But I wanted to tell you I wanted to be woken up with a kiss."

Riku blinked and turned his head to look at him. "Wait, really?"

"Yeah, really," Sora parroted. "Hehe, and you did it! So that means it's true love!"

"THAT'S why you wanted to be waken up with a kiss?" Riku snorted.

"That's how all the fairy tales end, don't they? The hero gets waken up by true love's first kiss and they live happily after!" Sora explained.

Riku chuckled and gave his hand an affectionate squeeze. "You're right. I see no reason why this story would end any differently."

"Riku..." he leaned his head up and caught Riku's gaze. Both of them leaned in for a kiss when suddenly they heard a "HEY GUYS!" in the distance and it startled them into separating.

Kairi had come back and didn't see them inside the house so she came to find them through the back door. Right beside her was another guest. King Mickey had come back! "Sorry, guys, were we interrupting something?" Kairi asked while both her shoulders were laden with large bags.

Sora smiled and waved at the two, "Hey guys! What's up?"

Kairi returned the smile, "Oh nothing. I wanted to drop off some supplies that I worked on this morning and I ran into the King on the way over here. He said he has something for you, Sora!"

Riku stood and brushed himself off, after nodding to Sora to be sure he'll be alright for a moment, he ran over to Kairi to offer some help with the new supplies. Once the both of them were back inside, Mickey joined Sora in the backyard. "How ya holdin' up?"

"Heh, okay, I guess. Getting around is a little hard without Riku, though," Sora scratched the back of his head. "Sorry that I didn't get a chance to say good-bye last night...or apologize properly."

"Don't even worry about it. Besides, it was my fault you ended up there in the first place. I'm just glad it all worked out. So no harm done! Haha!" the king chuckled cheerfully and dug into his pocket, fishing out a keychain that looked like a silver swiss army knife. "Don't take this the wrong way, but I asked Yen Sid to make something for you that might help you get around easier. Are you able to summon your keyblade?"

"Hm. Funny you should ask. I just tried it a minute ago. It's kind of heavy, though," Sora frowned.

"Ah! Well, you're in luck then! Try attaching this to your keyblade and give it a spin!" Mickey handed him the little charm that dangled by a silver chain.

Sora tilted his head at the little thing but obeyed, summoning his keyblade and attaching they keychain to it. His keyblade suddenly felt as light as aluminum and the yellow handle turned into a metallic blue color. "You...gave me a lighter keyblade?" Sora asked.

"That, and it has form changes to help you get around. Here, I'll show ya!"

Over the next few minutes, Mickey showed Sora how it can form change into crutches, a sled, wheelchair, and even a grappling hook with rope and harness. Sora tried not to frown too much when he showed him the wheel chair but tried to look on the bright side. If something were to happen to somebody else, he could use this to help them out.

"Well...this is very...thank you, your majesty. I'm sure it'll come in handy! It'll be great to use until my wrists get better too." Sora dismissed the keyblade gratefully. "I only wish I had something to give you in return."

"Naaaaw, you just focus on getting better, Sora. And then we'll all celebrate properly! Plus, Master Yen Sid is looking forward to giving you another Mark of Mastery exam as soon as you're ready!"

"Pbbbbbt, what? After all of that he can't just make me a master now?" Sora laughed, but he was sure he wasn't doing a good job at hiding the bitterness behind it.

The king just gave him an apologetic look, "I'm sorry, Sora. You know how it is...there are procedures to these things."

"I know, I know. It's not a problem, really, your majesty. I'll be ready for it soon enough. The title isn't really that important to me right now."

"You're right. Title or not, you're still a hero to all of us! And what matters is that you're back home safe and sound doing what you want to do with your own future."

"Right!" Sora nodded with affirmation. "Thanks a lot, your majesty. Um...was there something else you needed too?"

"Well, I hate to ask, but now that you're awake, do you have any information that could help us? Any details that we don't already know?"

"Oh! Actually, there is something. You see I had a dream and..."

Meanwhile, Kairi and Riku were stocking up Sora's recovery room. The two of them were awkwardly quiet for a bit until Kairi saw Riku's open satchel on the extra cot in the bedroom filled with supplies. "Are you leaving on another mission soon?" she asked.

"Kind of. I've found a few leads that could help Sora now that he's awake. Plus, his nightmares are starting to worry me. If the enemy is tracking him, they might come to the island any day and who knows who else will get hurt if we stay here?" Riku explained solemnly.

"Have you talked to Sora about this?" the redhead questioned as she took a pile of fresh towels to the bathroom.

"Not yet. But he's trusting me to take the lead when it comes to his care and I don't plan on letting him down," he replied firmly.

Kairi frowned, "Are there other things you don't plan on telling him either?"

"What's that supposed to mean?" Riku paused to look at her.

"I know you, Riku. You know as well as I do his heart is still exposed and you're afraid of how'll he react to it if he knows," Kairi said pointedly.

"I KNOW how he'll react, Kairi. He'll think he's a walking target and he'll run away so none of us will get hurt!"

"Well maybe it WON'T come to that! Maybe if he knew, he wouldn't push us away and he'd let us protect him!"

"If you knew him as well as I do--"

"You're saying I DON'T?" Kairi interrupted with a frown.

"I...I didn't mean it that way. Look, he's told me a few things in one of his dreams that I didn't know happened before. It's changed him, Kairi. I mean, all of us have changed, but something else happened to him in that graveyard that affected him differently from the rest of us. He's not going to want to take risks anymore and sure, some might think that's a good thing, but I think it means he's lost his confidence in himself and his own heart."

"Do you think he's lost faith in us, too?"

"I think his faith in our combined strength has wavered. I wouldn't say it's lost, but I think he wants to find his own strength. Whether it's for himself or to protect us I just know that if he sees what has happened to him, he might lose even more faith in himself. I want to heal him before that ever happens," the taller teen explained.

Kairi clasped her hands in front of her. "Riku...do what your heart tells you is right, but make sure you listen to Sora's too, okay?"

Riku's eyes widened briefly but he nodded to assure her, "Of course."

The red head sighed and looked back at Riku's satchel, "When do you think you two will be leaving?"

Riku followed her gaze and considered it, "Ideally, within the next couple of days. But Sora's travelling clothes still aren't ready yet. I'll have to get them from Master Yen Sid tonight."

"Should I come with you?" she offered. "I just worry you'll run out of supplies."

Riku smiled and rested a hand on top of her head. "Thank you, Kairi. But you've worked hard enough. I'll pack whatever's left into the gummi ship and soon we should have another supplier if we need it. You've earned a break."

Kairi's eyes welled up with tears, "Just please tell me before you leave. I'll make as many bandages as I can until then. Okay?"

Riku pulled her into a hug, "Alright, I promise. But don't push yourself too hard. We're going to need you on high alert in case anything happens on the island."

She sniffled and pulled away, "Right! You can count on me."

The two finish filling up the cabinets and rejoin Sora and the king in the backyard. Mickey turns to Riku and hands him the keys to the gummi ship, explaining he'll take a dark portal home. The three of them saw him off and waved good-bye as he disappeared through the dark void. After that, Kairi walked over to Sora and asked how he was doing.

"I'm getting there, I think. Something doesn't feel right, though," Sora frowned and sat back down in the sand. Kairi and Riku kneeled on either side of him and waited for him to continue, all the while Kairi was shooting Riku glances like "You sure you don't want to say something?" which Riku ignored. "Riku mentioned that once I was awake that you all were going to take me in for x-rays, but I don't want to do that."

Kairi spoke up first, "But you might still have bone fractures or something! If we just checked, it could explain why you're still in so much pain!"

"Yeah, but what if it ISN'T bone fractures?" Sora continued. "I saw the stuff coming out of me. What if that is the cause of my pain and that alone? I can't risk exposing that to anybody here. It'd be against the rules."

"The rules?" Kairi repeated.

"The World Order," Riku explained. "We can't interfere with what's going on in other worlds or expose them to things they wouldn't otherwise have anything to do with. Sora's condition didn't happen here and he's right, the darkness we've been extracting from him isn't of this world either. It's not safe."

Kairi frowned but took a breath, "Fine...then what DO you suggest, Sora?"

"There's a world I want to go to. I have a friend there who could help me out. He's good at this sciencey stuff and knows about the heartless. It'll be safe there."

"Well, if you're sure, then I think we have a plan," Riku concluded. "We'll get your traveling clothes all ready and prepare to leave whenever you're ready."

"Wait wait wait, that's it? Sora, you haven't even had a chance to say hello to everybody. Do you really want to go off on another adventure this soon?" Kairi pleaded.

"It's just one visit, Kairi. Besides, it's not a field trip. I need to know what the next steps are so I can get stronger. Also...I'm not so sure I'm ready to see everybody just yet, not like this," Sora straightened up and summoned his lighter keyblade. He then form-changed it into a set of aluminum crutches with blue arm rests and handles. "This new enemy is nothing like Xehanort and if we are to fight him, I can't let anybody else see what he's done to me. I want them instead to see me once I've recovered so that they'll have courage. If there's any room for any doubt in our hearts, they'll wriggle in there and wipe us out. I don't want that to happen to anyone."

Kairi sighed, but smiled and stood up with him. Riku stood up too and gave Sora a proud smile, "Sora's right. The best thing for all of us is to keep moving forward."

Kairi nodded and gave both of them a hug, "You two have a safe journey. And remember to call me!"


	11. When the Lights Go Down in the City, the Sun Shines on the Bay

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sora and Riku visit San Fransokyo and meet Hiro and Baymax 1 and 2. A surprise stop in Atlantica proves useful as Riku is intimidated by the one of the other many father figures in Sora's life. Riku is one step closer to fulfilling a secret personal mission and wedding plans are being set in motion!

After a day of preparation, the two felt they were all set to go, but they were waiting on King Mickey to arrive with Sora's new traveling clothes from Yen Sid and the good fairies. The ship was loaded with all the supplies they could pack onto it and Roxas had even visited to give Riku a traveling satchel that Olette from Twilight Town made. It was made of durable black denim and the neat and precise stitching looked like it was done by hand. Inside were a couple of snacks contributed by Hayner and Pence with a letter of well wishes from the three of them. It felt weird to be carrying around a bag, but his pockets were already brimming with other things, so he decided it couldn't hurt to bring it along. Finally, the king showed up at dawn just as they had loaded the last of Kairi's contributions to the supplies. She really outdid herself this time and didn't stay long to wave them off because she was in desperate need of a long nap. When he presented Sora with his repaired clothing, the first thing he did was shove everything that they took from his pockets earlier and shove it back in. All of his keychains and potions and other doo-dads he didn't even remember having, and of course, his gummi phone with its new paopu charm went straight back into his pants. He was about to shove in Kairi's good luck charm and he hesitated, remembering he probably should've returned it to her. But another moment's thought and he decided she would probably tell him to hold onto it and to give it back when he came home. So it went into his pocket with everything else.

While Sora was busying himself with changing back in Riku's house (it took him a fair minute), the King was going over some new features they've installed into the gummi ship that he forgot to tell them about before he gave Riku the keys a couple of days ago. Riku wasn't too thrilled about the idea of having new gadgets further complicate piloting the gummi ship, but Mickey insisted it was really simple so he did his best to pay attention. Sora emerged from the house within a few minutes, using one keyblade crutch to lean on as he came out. Both were pleased to see Sora all dressed up in his gear again and seeing their expressions of approval made Sora smile too.

"So, what's the plan, fellas?" Mickey inquired as he gave Riku a hug good-bye.

"First, we're going to San Fransokyo," Sora answered as he made his way over to the ship. "I have a friend there who might be able to tell us more information about my injuries and maybe even how to fix them faster. I feel safer going to him with this stuff versus scaring everybody at the local hospital here at home."

Mickey took Sora's free hand and shook it in his own to wish him safe travels. "Well, it sounds like that's where your heart wants to go. So best of luck, Sora! Both of you be safe and look out for each other. If you need anything, we're all just a phone call away!"

Riku helped Sora get into the cockpit. "Thank you, Mickey. We'll call you if we have any news. And tell Master Yen Sid thank you for us." He gave a final wave before hopping in himself and taking off, blasting off into space just as the sun had fully risen.

. . .

The trip to San Fransokyo was uneventful. Sora was a little fidgety as it had been quite a while since he's been the one to sit in the passenger's seat and not the captain's chair. Since it was just the two of them, Sora showed Riku how to play with the cockpit settings to resituate the seating arrangement so that they were sitting side by side. Even though he wasn't pleased about taking a backseat, he knew it was for the best since his wrists and fingers still weren't doing too well and using the giant steering wheel would've been murder on his back. But at least on Sora's side of the controls he had a view of the map and scanner and he had the option to launch and use the guns on the teeny ships if he wanted to. As they made their way to their destination, their road trip chatter had died down and the brunette amused himself with watching the stars fly by through the top of the dome window. Maybe being co-pilot for now wasn't so bad, he decided.

Before landing, Sora called Hiro to let them know they were coming and the younger teen instructed them to meet him at his garage. It was night time by the time they arrived and Riku was immediately taken in by all the neon lights and sky scrapers. "You sent me pictures of this place, didn't you?" he asked Sora as he helped him get around.

Sora hobbled a little stiffly from sitting for too long and used Riku to support himself while he got his crutches situated. "Heehee, yeah, isn't it great? Wait til you see it. There's so much to do here! They have so much amazing food and there's this giant red bridge--OH and wait until you meet Baymax!"

Riku chuckled at Sora's enthusiasm and let him lead the way to Hiro's garage where Hiro and two Baymaxes were waiting for them. After some quick introductions, Sora left it up to Riku to explain what they've been doing for Sora in the past month and what their concerns were going forward.

"Huh...yeah. It's funny, the other day the guys and I were just saying how much we missed you. I'm sorry you've had a rough time. But we'll be more than happy to help. Baymax can give you a body scan and we'll go from there!"

One of the squishy, white inflated robots stepped forward, "Affirmative. Greetings...Sora. It's nice to see you again. I am preparing to do a health screen. Could you please stand up straight for me and say...AH."

Riku was amazed to hear the thing talk. The two robots were standing still in the room for so long he thought they were just some weird inflatable mascots. Looking at how cuddly it looked, Riku decided he wasn't too surprised that Sora would prefer to return here instead of going to an actual doctor. He held onto Sora's keyblade crutches for him as he stood with difficulty for his scan.

Red lasers traced Sora from head to toe and Baymax took a few seconds to process the data. "Processing...analyzing...It appears more data is needed. Please turn around and I will scan your back as well."

Hiro had a look on his face that told Riku that this was unusual, but the teen nodded to Sora to go ahead and turn around. Sora complied and was scanned again. But this time the lasers scanned him up and down three times.

"Scan complete. Processing...analyzing...analyzing..." Baymax appeared to be thinking and Sora took that as an okay to sit down. He looked to Hiro who was keeping an eye on Baymax's retinal scanners.

"Hm, he must've found something he's not familiar with. Usually he's pretty quick with the results," Hiro observed. "Baymax, progress?"

"I am currently searching my databases for a possible diagnosis. So far all are inconclusive," Baymax reported.

"Okaaaaaaaay, well, let's skip the diagnosis. Let's focus on symptoms and root cause," Hiro redirected.

"Certainly," the white robot responded and a lit display screen projected on its chest. It showed a diagram of Sora's body, back and front, and many spots were marked all over both of them. "Health scan shows many cases of bruising to Sora's muscles and bones in 47 places ranging from minor to severe. Most are in the final stages of healing and should take...TWO...more weeks...to heal. No broken bones have been found, but there is evidence of recent bone repair in...14...places, including the head, legs, ribs, and tailbone."

Hiro and Riku both noticeably winced at that information but it took Sora an extra couple of seconds to catch on. "Wait, you mean I actually cracked my skull!?"

"Affirmative," Baymax confirmed, and more images appeared on his display, showing what appeared to be an image of Sora's skull similar to an x-ray. "Such an injury is most likely caused by Blunt Force Trauma from a heavy object or from a really high fall. Side effects from an injury can include--"

"WHOA!" Hiro jumped in front of the screen seeing as how that was clearly information overload and Sora was starting to look very pale. "Okay, Baymax, we get the picture. If his head and the rest of his bones are okay, we can move on. What else did you find?"

"Continuing with initial analysis," Baymax obeyed and the screen returned to the images of the original scans. The spots indicated by the bruising and recent bone healing were cleared away so there was only one big spot on the front portion on his chest surrounded by a large splotch-looking detail with a bright spot on each wrist and the back was covered in many small bright spots that were mostly on his back with one on his neck and one on each leg. "There is a large subdermal abrasion in the center of your CHEST. Symptoms of infection present, but there is no detection of bacteria. Lastly, 23 foreign bodies have been detected."

"Foreign bodies!?" all three of them exclaimed at the same time.

"Baymax, what can you tell us about the foreign bodies?" Hiro asked. The other Baymax had noticed Sora's distressed posture and pale expression and waddled over to comfort him with a squishy hug.

Riku swallowed hard as the display zoomed in on the largest cluster of spots located on Sora's lower back and reached out to hold Sora's hand while they both had their eyes glued to the screen.

"There are 23 foreign bodies. They appear to be crystalline shards...in structure and shape. My analysis has been unable to find any other similarities to any elements that we currently know of. Said CRYSTALS appear to be emitting a unknown sort of radiation immeasurable by my sensors and appear to be affecting Sora's...Central and Structural Nervous System," the android explained.

"Wait, what does that mean?" Sora asked. "I'm radioactive?"

"Negative. The unknown energy radiating from the Foreign Bodies seems to be sufficiently contained to your person by the BANDAGES you are currently wearing. However, the unknown radiation appears to be the root cause of your pain."

"Sooo...that just means I need to get them out, right?" Sora asked.

"Affirmative. Surgery would be required to remove them. After which, you will likely require many months of physical therapy to repair the damage. Without surgery, your prognosis is...Not Good." A giant sad face appears on Baymax's screen.

Hiro sighed and looked to Sora, "I'm sorry...any of the physical therapy tech students at the university would love to help you, I'm sure. But even if we could arrange for a surgeon around here I don't think it's safe to try and remove them without knowing what they are."

Sora nodded and stared down at his hands, "You're right. We can't risk anybody else getting hurt because of me. So what's the alternative?"

Baymax's eyes lit up as he continued, "Processing. Processing...Based on the provided data related to your care from...Riku...current analysis suggests that if you continue your current regimen, you will survive for...one month...before catastrophic brain failure. If you were to cease your current care regimen, you will have two weeks. However, for every foreign body you remove, you prolong your projected lifespan by two more weeks. For each one after that, you can expect the time to increase exponentially. Suggested alternative to surgical removal: continue current care regimen with a recommended inclusion of physical therapy. In the event that your nerves...die...you will lose function of your limbs. Starting physical therapy now can reprogram your brain to find alternative ways to keep your body functioning so you can continue to do every day tasks."

Hiro looked at Sora and Riku who were clearly shaken by the news. "I think what Baymax is trying to say is that the human brain is capable of doing amazing things, especially when combined with a strong heart. I know you can beat this, Sora, because I know you have a strong heart. Just have faith, continue doing what you're doing, and yeah, like Baymax said, start exercising. By the sound of it, the minute you slack off, this thing will get to you. But remember, your friends are here for you, and we'll do anything we can to help."

Sora looked up and gave a small appreciative smile to Hiro. "Thanks, guys. It wasn't the best news I could've hoped for, but I'm glad I know now. At least I have an idea of what I'm up against." He felt Riku squeeze his hand and corrected himself, "What WE are up against."

Hiro nodded and rested a comforting hand on Sora's shoulder, "I know it won't be easy, but you've got the strongest heart of anyone I know, Sora. If anybody can pull it off, it's you. Just believe in yourself like your friends believe in you." He then looked to Riku who nodded in agreement. "Are you guys planning to stay for very long?"

Sora shook his head, much to Riku's surprise, "I think we need to be moving on."

"Sora's probably right. We have other places to visit. But thank you so much for your help," Riku shook Hiro's hand gratefully. Like Sora said, it wasn't the greatest news, but for better or worse, they know what the timeline is.

"Anytime. Oh! Before you go!" Hiro dashed over to his workdesk and pulled out a jar with a peculiar-looking lid and hurried back to give it to Riku. "Take this with you! It has a molecular stabilizer that--" he paused when he saw the tell-tale sign of confusion on Sora's face, "If you manage to remove any of those shards, you can store them in this jar so they'll be safe and not harm anybody else. You could even give them to somebody who has better resources that might be able to help you."

Riku took the jar gratefully and stored it in his satchel. "Thank you! I'm sure it'll come in handy. In the meantime, is there anything we can do to thank you?" he offered.

"Nah! This is what friends do! Just be sure to give us updates. Once Sora's all better, maybe we can give you an official tour of the city!"

"Heh, I'd like that. We'll keep in touch, Hiro."

"Yeah, and thank you too, Baymax," Sora smiled at the two androids.

"Are you satisfied with your care?" they asked in unison.

"Hehe, I am satisfied with my care!"

. . .

Back on the ship, Riku noticed Sora was feeling down. Truth to be told, so was he. A month was not very long at all and he began to wonder if they really were any better off with the information now that they know that Sora has a time limit. "Should we...fly over to Master Yen Sid's and tell him the information in person? See if he has any ideas?" Riku suggested quietly so as not to startle Sora from his thoughts.

"Hm? Yeah, I guess so..." Sora sighed. "I'm sorry I said we should leave so soon. I wanted to show you the city and have a good time, but after hearing all of that..."

"You felt you didn't have time to waste. I understand," Riku finished for him. "Don't worry about it. If anything, you gave me a sneak preview. It'll be something to look forward to once we get you feeling like your old self again."

Sora managed a small smile, "So you really think Master Yen Sid might know something?"

"I'm sure he must have some idea, or know how to find more information. He's been around long enough and there's gotta be something in that massive library of his that could prove useful," Riku assured as he started punching in the coordinates into the gummi ship's computer. "It's going to take a fair bit of time before we get there, though. If you want, you can rest until I get us there."

Sora hummed. He didn't really want to go down the ladder to sleep on his usual bunk. Not only would that be hard for him, but he wanted to be close to Riku. But this chair wasn't that comfortable, either. He checked the cockpit settings on the dashboard that allowed him to rearrange the seats earlier and saw there was another option he hadn't used before. He pushed the button and a small fold-down bed appeared in the far back of the cockpit. It was basically like a canvas stretcher attached to the wall with a pillow and some blankets on it, but for a nap, it'll do. He gave a cheeky grin and a thumbs up to Riku before standing to limp back there, earning a swat on the butt from Riku in the process. Thankfully it was just low enough for Sora to climb into without a problem and began to feel drowsy almost as soon as his head hit the travel-sized pillow. As he stared at the stars above them, he idly thought of how the canvas stretcher bed reminded him of some of the beach furniture his parents used to have. He and Riku would lay on one of the reclining chairs together to keep warm as they insisted on staying out long enough to see the stars before bedtime. He could remember them chattering non-stop about seeing new places and finding ways to see the stars up close and maybe even visit them. It seemed a little silly to think about that now, but in a way, their dreams were coming true. He'd been seeing other worlds for a while now, but this is the first time he's gotten to travel the stars with Riku. He found it hard not to be bitter about how the circumstances that led to this, though. What if this was his only chance to enjoy this with Riku? Maybe they should've stayed in the city and enjoyed it...in case...

A beeping from the scanner startled Sora awake. He couldn't have drifted off for too long, but apparently it was long enough for the heartless ships to start crawling out of the woodwork of space to bother them. Riku didn't seem too worried but Sora could see from the map that he was opting to change course to avoid potential combat altogether. Sora sat up on the bed and watched the scanner with trepidation but after a couple of minutes it seemed Riku had succeeded in losing them. But then, just as he was about to compliment Riku for his evasive tactics, he felt a stabbing pain erupt from his chest that forced a scream from his open mouth instead. "AAAGGH!!!"

Riku was startled into turning around to find Sora desperately clutching at his chest and howling in pain. "Sora!" he called out to him as he was forced to keep looking ahead. What he got in response was a soft thump that sounded like he had fallen. "Hang on! I'll be right there!" Riku shouted and just as he was about to abandon the wheel, he was delayed by many beeps and alarms coming from the scanner. They were being ambushed! He grabbed the wheel again just as the ship began to shake violently and more alarms started going off. They were getting hit and the shields were weakening by the second. Amongst all the blaring alarms, he could hear Sora struggling on the floor behind him. This was looking very bad, but he above all else, he needed to check on Sora first! He hit a button on the dash to turn on the emergency radio as he attempted to gun down an opening through the heartless hoard and make a break for it. He gripped the steering wheel tightly as the whole ship shuddered around them while he desperately called for Chip and Dale. "MAYDAY, MAYDAY! Chip and Dale! Do you copy?"

Chip could be heard over the radio first, "This is chip! What's the status of your emergency?"

"I got heartless on my tail and Sora's down! Can you remotely pilot the ship so I can get to him?" Riku yelled over the din of the angry alarms.

"Copy that! DALE! WAKE UP! Access the gummi ship's network, now! We'll establish contact in five seconds. Do not let go of the wheel until we tell you!" Chip warned as Dale could be heard scurrying in the background.

"Rodger! But please hurry, Sora sounds like he's in bad shape!" Riku answered back.

On the floor, Sora's whole body was wracking in pain. Wave after wave of agony shot up his spine and made his whole body twitch and spasm in protest while his chest felt like it was being split in half. Desperate for the pain to stop, he was clawing at the chest plate beneath his shirt, anything to ease whatever this awful pressure was that he felt pushing inside of him. He was so breathless he couldn't even scream, any noise he could make was just strangled moaning as he felt like his body was straining to keep itself contained.

"Connection established!" Dale called out to the radio.

"We got the controls now, Riku! Leave it to us and we'll get you to your pre-programmed heading! Just be sure to hold on tight!"

"Copy that! Stand by!" Riku wasted no time jumping out of the captain's chair to tend to Sora. As the lights flickered on and off around them, Riku carefully pried Sora's hands away from himself to find that he was leaking blood and black stuff from under his shirt and chest plate. Alarmed, he makes quick work of removing his shirt to find that the armor was glowing, which indicates it was trying to protect Sora from some sort of threat. Deciding that Sora's pain must have something to do with the heartless being close by, he yells for Chip and Dale to alter the course!

The two were doing a good job using the teeny ships to take down the surrounding heartless but they were still having to push the engines at full speed to stay ahead of the swarm. "Which world??" Chip calls back.

"Any world that doesn't have any recent reported sightings of heartless!" Riku called back as he desperately tried to keep a firm grip on Sora so that they wouldn't slide around in the weaving cockpit.

"Copy that! Searching records for potential worlds!" Dale called back. "Chip, don't let up!"

Sora was choking with pain and clutched at his chest to which Riku pried his hands away from as gently as he possibly could while he begged him to calm down. He held his hands tightly and leaned in close so Sora could hear him over all the noise, "I know it hurts, I'm so sorry, but I can't do anything for you right now except put you to sleep until it's over--"

"NOOO!!!" Sora cried out, squeezing Riku's hands back so tightly that his fingernails almost made Riku bleed. "I can handle it! I can...I just..." He struggled to open his eyes to look at Riku but his head was rolled so far back that he caught sight of the stars instead and then he suddenly had a realization of where he was. "Triton..." he mumbled.

"What?" Riku asked, leaning closer to hear him.

"Triton! We need to go to...AAGHH...Atlantica! There...AAH! There aren't any heartless there!" Sora explained while straining to speak through gritted teeth.

"That's a big 10-4! Sora's right, there aren't any heartless, but you're going to get wet!" Chip confirmed.

"Alright, then set course for Atlantica!" Riku commanded.

"HOLD ON!" Dale warned just as they hit a warp point and ZOOMED through a tunnel of light.

Riku had only a second to brace for impact and he used his body to ground him and Sora against the wall when they came to a sudden STOP right in front of Atlantica. Sora breathed hard in Riku's arms as he continued to bleed all over Riku. Now that the ship was stabilized, Riku could attend to him properly and began dumping potions on the brunette who seemed to be drifting in and out of consciousness. He quickly unclasped the armored plate and worked fast to unwrap and rewrap Sora's chest wound which seemed to be glowing an angry red in the center. Now was not the time to look at it too closely, though, as they had to prepare to land before the heartless catch up to them.

Chip called over the loudspeaker, "You have arrived at Atlantica! Prepare to disembark!"

The next minute or so is all a blur for Sora who was groaning in so much pain he can barely stay conscious. He was barely aware of anything happening around him as Riku held him tightly while he swam as fast as he could behind Ariel, the mermaid princess. He heard her say that they were waiting for them to show up and that her father told her to bring them to the castle as soon as they arrived.

Riku didn't even have time to take everything in. Apparently he his lower half had turned into a shark's body and Sora looked like he was part dolphin and the young red-head with a green tail was a friend of Sora's? Before he knew it, she told him to follow her and could do nothing but cradle Sora's limp body against himself as he did his best to keep up.

Ariel kept checking back to make sure they were keeping up and was impressed. She was a very fast swimmer and Riku seemed to have very little trouble keeping pace with her compared to Sora when he first arrived. As her father had said, the day Sora came, he might need help and it was clear to see he was right. He hadn't stopped groaning in pain since he had arrived but he wasn't moving very much either. He was also wearing something that she'd never seen on him before. Plus this stranger...it was clear that Sora trusted him but she found herself too unnerved for once to strike up conversation, especially since her heart told her that this was an urgent matter and simply not the time for introductions.

The young mermaid was indeed fast, but Riku appreciated the urgency. Sora had stopped bleeding from his chest but that was no reason to relax. The smaller male was clenching his own fists so hard his nails were digging into his palms as he tried to distract himself from the agony that continued to wrack his entire body. In what felt like no time at all, the mermaid princess had led them to the palace and into the throne room where King Triton was awaiting their arrival.

The merking was certainly an intimidating figure well worthy of his role as it was clear why anybody would respect him. But when he descended his throne and swam to Riku, his face softened considerably as he looked at the pained Sora cradled in the keyblade master's arms. The king took a heavy hand and brushed it through Sora's hair and Riku swore he heard him say, "My poor boy..." under his breath. In his peripheral vision, he could see Ariel struggling to keep herself together as she watched Sora, too.

The king suddenly snapped his head up to stare Riku dead in the eyes before grabbing his trident and ushering Riku to a nearby doorway. "You, boy, take Sora in there. Ariel, inform the guards that nobody is to come into the throne room. After which, you stay put right here. No matter what you hear, do NOT come inside. Understand, young lady?"

Ariel looked torn between following her father's orders and staying to look after Sora, but this was important. "Yes, daddy!" she obeyed and swam off to inform the guards in a blur of red and green.

Apparently there was no time for introductions with his majesty either as Riku also did what he was told and went through aforementioned doorway. He swam in the dark for a few moments until Triton followed behind him with his trident lighting the way forward. Eventually he felt his head hit the surface of the water but kept going until it appeared that they were in some sort of dry cave. With a wave of his trident, candles lit along the walls revealing rows and rows of books and scrolls lining the cave walls. This must've been some sort of dry storage room, Riku concluded. In the middle of the cave was still a small pool of water but it surrounded a slightly elevated stone slab, like a table. Triton made his way over to one side of it, his large frame still towering high above it even if half of him was still submerged in water and Riku took the other side. The king stared him down again before his face softened once more. "Lay Sora on the slab, boy."

Sora hissed in pain but corrected the king, "Master."

The king quirked an eyebrow. "Pardon?"

"Sora..." Riku quietly urged him to not correct the intimidating merking, especially when they're here to ask him for a favor!

"Riku's a Keyblade Master," Sora explained with pride in his voice, despite straining through his obvious discomfort.

"Ah, Master Riku. Well met," the king acknowledged with a firm nod. "Well then, Master Riku, would you kindly get Sora up here, preferably on his stomach, if you will," he patted the stone table with his large hand for emphasis, sending a chilling echo through the small cave.

"Yes, thank you, your majesty," Riku obeyed and though it was awkward getting Sora up there while half of him was still under water, it took little effort from Triton to help him up the rest of the way and Riku stuffed the satchel he was carrying under Sora's head so he could lie down a little more comfortably without his face scraping into the stone.

"How did you know we were coming?" Riku asked while Triton motioned for him to remove the back portion of the chest plate.

The wise merking gazed down at Sora with a soft look while he held his hand on the brunette's lower back to steady him. The touch seemed to comfort Sora who had begun to quiet down but was still quietly moaning in pain. "Sora has become like a son to me. Though we had our differences when he first arrived, he's proved himself to be a great ally, a good friend to my daughter, and somebody I know I can depend on. He's formed a bond with all of us..."

Riku's head dropped solemnly, already knowing where this was going.

"So a month ago, when Ariel and I both sensed something had happened to Sora and when word had spread about his injuries, I knew in my heart that there may be something I can do to help. I've been calling out and awaiting your arrival ever since," the bearded elder explained.

"I think Sora must've heard you. He said your name when our ship was being attacked," Riku told him. He then looked up at the king and dared to hope that he might actually be able to help. "Do you really think there's something you can do?" He explained what they had just learned from Hiro and Baymax, regarding the strange crystals embedded in Sora's body and how they could be really dangerous to remove.

A light of recognition lit up in the merking's eyes as Riku relayed the information but his expression grew darker as he mentioned the grim timeline. "It DOES sound familiar, but there's only one way for me to know for sure. Have courage, Sora," he warned.

Sora clutched the bag underneath his face and held still, completely placing his trust in the king. Riku wanted to protest or at least ask what he was going to do, but King Triton was already pointing his trident at Sora's back and a shot of electricity made Riku fall back instinctively with a splash in the shallow water.

The candles in the cave flickered out and then the only light in the cave to be seen was the light coming from the trident and the light that was now tracing all along Sora's back, as if drawing a roadmap of his injuries. The lines of light scribbled and scrawled all over him, as if tracing through the veins of Sora's body until they all intercepted at one common point on his lower back, the very same area that Baymax said had the most embedded shards of unknown crystal. Every other point where many of the lines also intercepted began to glint and glow in the dim light, indicating whether the other shards were located. "My poor boy...if you didn't have such a strong heart..." the king trailed off mournfully.

Having gotten over the initial shock of the king shooting lightning at his best friend, Riku gathered himself up enough to ask questions. "What is it? Where did it come from?"

"Well to answer that, we'll need to ask Sora," the king frowned and waved the trident over Sora's body, raining a glittering spell over the web-like map drawn all over his skin.

Sora felt his heart begin to pound even harder in his chest as whatever the king was doing stirred up fear inside of him. It became hard to breathe as adrenaline from an unknown source pulsed through his veins. His mind began swimming in a torrent of murky memories without anything stable to grasp onto while pain continued to etch itself into his body like rows of nails being driven into him all at once. He gasped and choked as he felt his throat tighten from the strain of his whole body clenching so hard. But even as his skin felt like it was melting from his body, he held on. Anything for answers! Anything that will let him explore the stars with Riku for real! His patience seemed to pay off as a strange numbness slowly seeped through him, but it was an uneasy feeling that left him wary as he panted for breath. He opened his eyes to see the cave was now lit dimly with red light that seemed to radiate from himself and though he couldn't see what was going on behind him, he could see the reflections it cast on the pool of water that surrounded the table.

Riku's jaw had dropped open as the gold light on Sora's back rose like a newly lit campfire and began billowing an angry red smoke above him. Within the red cloud, it seemed to glitter like a fine red mist and began to form shapes that morphed and floated through the air until the magical projections became very clear and discernible. Riku reached for one of Sora's hands and held it and the red mist and fog painted a grizzly retelling of the brunette's pain before his very eyes. Triton himself looked agasp as he witnessed it play out. A form holding a keyblade that had to be Sora was fighting back against two cloaked figures, one holding a keyblade and the other zig-zagging all over the place while it brandished a sniper-like weapon. The silhouette of Sora could be seen getting hacked and slashed at while he did his best to block the shots from the other assailant. Triton squinted to get a better look at the weapon and noticed crystals coming out of it that shot at Sora and shattered when they missed and hit the ground. Sora mewled and wriggled on the table as his body recalled the pain of him getting slammed and slashed and shot at over and over. He remembered how tired he was after fighting off all the lichs, how he was ambushed in his rage form, how he used up the last of his health potions as he tried to dodge the two assailants. They wore him down and toyed with him, the one with the keyblade knocking him into the ground over and over and he remembered his body scraping painfully against the ground as it felt like he was landing on shards of glass.

Riku's eyes widened in realization as he watched the scene unfold as the red form of Sora fell on fragments of whatever ammunition that Xigbar was using against him. That must've been how they got inside of him! He felt Sora squeeze his hand really hard and looked down to see him shaking all over. "Your majesty, I think we've seen enough!"

"Quite right," Triton agreed and waved the images away with his trident, the candles relighting and Sora felt himself relaxing again. "It's just as I thought," he muttered while he stroked his beard thoughtfully.

Riku leaned over Sora and whispered soft nothings to him while running a hand through his scalp before acknowledging him. "What?"

"Well, it requires a bit of explanation. But it appears Sora's been afflicted with something that plagued my own people many centuries ago before my reign. You see, merfolk used to be as numerous as the man on land and much more adventurous. They were constantly looking for new resources to power their growing city and eventually they mined so deep into the heart of the world that they found what I can only describe as crystals made of pure darkness. They tried to use the newfound mineral to power their weapons and technology but those who were exposed to it soon fell victim to it. It fed on the darkness in their own hearts and spread like a disease until they perished. It wasn't unlike the heartless as we know them now. Heartless savagely try to steal hearts from people, but this...this strangled their bodies with darkness until their hearts were forced to escape. That man's weapon releases projectiles very similar to the designs I've seen in these very archives from that time. It was a plague that nearly wiped out the entire population," the king finished grimly.

"These men, they're after Sora's heart! They were trying to take it from him when the heartless failed to do their bidding for them. Do you think they're using this stuff to try and smoke his heart out of him?" Riku asked.

"I'd find it very strange if that man WASN'T aware that his weapon was capable of inflicting this on him, I know that for sure," Triton answered, his brows furrowed in anger.

"Your majesty, we've done everything we can to try and drain the darkness out of Sora's body, but it looks like it'll keep reproducing faster than we can get rid of it. Is there anything we can do to stop it? Do you know how we can get the shards out of his body?" Riku begged. "There must be some way!"

"There is, but only the strongest of hearts will be able to pull it off...and he's going to need your help every step of the way."

"I'll do whatever it takes!" Riku reaffirmed.

"As keybearers, you know what the darkness feeds on and takes advantage of in people's hearts. Every heart save for a special few has darkness, as is the balance of things. But this...disease...will do everything it can to tip that balance. Sora's heart, while strong, clearly aches from his pain and his recent trauma. He's strong enough to control it, but if he should falter, this parasite will strike. It's up to you to be his strength, to be there for him when he feels all hope is lost. You can't let him go astray. Every inch you give, it will take and then some. But before that happens, the only way to flush out the darkness is with light."

"Light?" Riku repeated.

Triton nodded and waved his trident again, the lines on Sora's back reappearing and then all of a sudden the lines connected the spots representing the crystals on his back shattered and disappeared. Sora felt like a weight had just left his body and gasped as he felt like he could take a full breath for the first time since he's woken up.

"What just happened?" Riku asked as he checked on Sora, who only squeezed Riku's hand back to say that he was okay, really too exhausted by now to speak.

"I've used my power to disconnect the bonds the shards have made in Sora to buy you some time. If you don't hurry, their darkness will only spread again until they have full control over his body. You have precious time to rebuild the defenses around Sora's heart and help him regain his strength, anything to make his light brighter. Over time, the shards will force themselves out to avoid perishing. You need to stay vigilant and remove these as soon as possible along with what you've been doing already. Now that they've lost ground, they should be easier to flush out and you need to put them away where they won't get near Sora again or they'll stop at nothing to rejoin their original host. Do you understand?" he instructed.

"I...I think so. But how do we make his heart any stronger than it is?" Riku asked.

The king suddenly laughed for the first time since they've been here which echoed so much it shook dust from the tops of the cave's shelves, "Well why don't you ask Sora that? Surely he knows better than anyone! Your hearts will guide you to the answers, just as Sora's guided you to me. I know that he has touched many hearts and his strength comes from the bonds he has made with everybody he has helped. Their hearts surely ached as mine did and will want to help them. Listen for them, let them assist you and you will regain your light, Sora."

Riku re-buckled Sora's chest plate and Sora used his arms to prop himself up to finally look at the king. "I think I get it, your majesty. It's just like I told Riku earlier...my pain is less when I'm with him. There must be a reason, right?"

"Of course there is, and your heart knows it too," he smiled warmly. "So go forth and fill your hearts with light together."

Sora smiled broadly with a blush painting his cheeks, "Thank you, your majesty...for everything!"

. . .

After they said their good-byes to the king, Sora wanted to spend a little time introducing Riku to Sebastian, Ariel, and Flounder. He told him all about their adventures and about how talented a composer Sebastian was...for a crab, which the little musician resented but also appreciated at the same time. Upon hearing Sebastian was a composer, Riku asked for a moment while Ariel fussed over Sora for a minute and asked him all about his new fashion statement.

"What can I do fah you, Mastah Riku?" the crab asked once they were out of earshot.

"It's just, I don't know anything about writing music and there's this song I want to write down for Sora. I just don't know who could do it for me," Riku explained while he fought off the blush that threatened to stain his cheeks.

"A song? Fa Sora? What do you plan to do with it? Are ya gonna sing for him, perhaps?" he asked excitedly.

"No, no! I can't sing. But I'd like to get a music box made...it's a simple tune, but it's very special for both of us," Riku explained, averting his gaze while he scratched at his cheek.

"Simple you say? Well, if it's as important as all that, let's do it right now! Hurry, lad!" Sebastian insisted as he whipped a quill and decently sized roll of parchment out of his shell.

. . .

Ariel and Sora were having a good time reliving their musical days and re-enacting their dance moves. Sora found it much easier to move down here than on land since it only required his core muscles and basic limb function versus the finer motor skills like balance and coordination that he was currently struggling with on the surface. Since King Triton had worked his magic on him, he felt immensely better. Not perfect, but he had a feeling that he was just given a second chance and he was going to use it right. As he twirled Ariel around, she giggled happily and asked, "So, does Riku know how good of a dancer you are yet?"

"What? Uh, no. We haven't really had a reason to dance," Sora blushed and flipped them both upside down.

"Silly, you don't NEED a reason to dance, Sora. You just do it whenever you feel like!" Ariel insisted as they spun right-side up.

"Without music?" Sora asked as he took Ariel's hands and spun them both around in a wide circle.

"Of course! Just like we're doing now! When hearts are happy, they sing and dance together!" she explained as they spun until they broke hands and spun around on their own axis' until they met back at the center and joined hands again to dance some more, Sora taking her hand and waist to swim in a waltz.

"Heh, well if Riku and I did that, I don't think we'd ever stop dancing," Sora snickered.

Ariel sighed blissfully, "Oh Sora, I'm so happy for you. You've found your prince just like I have!"

Sora blushed even redder and finally separated from Ariel, all breathless from their dancing. "Y-yeah, you're right, I have. And speaking of! When's the wedding?" he diverted back to Ariel. "Aren't you and Prince Eric ready to tie the knot yet?"

Now it was Ariel's turn to giddily blush and giggle, "Oh! Hehehe! Don't worry, it's happening very soon! Would you and Riku like to be invited to the wedding?"

"Are you kidding! I wouldn't miss it for the world!" Sora gave her a hug, sharing in her giddiness. "What, is on land or sea? Should I wear a suit?"

"Well, I think we're having the wedding on a boat so my family and friends can be a part of the wedding too, so you can do whatever you'd like!" Ariel chuckled.

"Hehe! I'll look forward to it," he paused to smile warmly at her. "You're going to make a beautiful bride, Ariel."

The princess turned her head and wrung her fingers bashfully, "Aw, thank you, Sora."

He rubbed the tip of his nose and looked around to see where his own prince charming wandered off to. "Did you see where Riku went?"

"Wasn't he with Sebastian a minute ago?" Ariel looked around too. "Oh, there they are!" She pointed and sure enough the two were swimming back to rejoin them from wherever they were hiding.

"Where were you?" Sora asked, more curious than upset.

"Aw, did you miss me?" Riku wise-cracked while giving Sora a quick affectionate kiss on the nose. "Don't worry about it. I just forgot something that's all. Are you ready to head out?"

Sora nodded and turned to say good-bye to Ariel, exchanging one more quick hug. "We'll be back soon, Ariel! Reserve some seats for us!"

"I will, Sora. And you two be safe. Look out for each other...and get well soon," the princess returned the hug with an extra squeeze.

"You can count on it! I wouldn't want to miss you and Eric's special day! And Sebastian, you keep her out of trouble!" he joked as he shook the crab's little claw.

"You shouldn't ask for the impossible, Sora. But I'll do my best!" he laughed and joined the others in waving good-bye as Sora and Riku swam back to teleport back up to the gummi ship.

Once the two were settled in and Riku was sure Sora was okay to travel again, they thought of their next heading. "Should we try to go to Master Yen Sid's place again?" Riku asked with his hand hovering near the controls.

"Hmmm...I don't think so," Sora frowned in thought.

"Hm, I think I agree. We got swarmed by heartless before. I bet they're still clogging up the route. If we go back, we'd have to find another way around," the elder teen agreed.

"Well, there's that too, but I've been thinking about what Baymax said, about physical therapy."

"What's that?"

"Well, if we're going to keep traveling together, I need to be able to hold up my own weight, and I think I know just the person to help me get back into shape!"


	12. Happy Thoughts, Spill Lots

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Oof, okay, I hope this chapter was worth the wait. Made it a little spicy to make it up to you~
> 
> Riku and Sora make their way to Olympus to ask if Phil would be kind enough to offer his assistance in helping him with some physical training. The two are invited to stay at Herc's new home for as long as they need. Sora begins to question Riku again who finds a way to distract him for the time being.

The two had inputted their next destination, OLYMPUS, and decided to let auto-pilot take the leisurely route so they could have a little time to relax. At the rate they were going, Riku figured it would be almost evening by the time they got there. They had switched the settings around in the cockpit so that they could lounge together in the back. The little loveseat-sized fold down bench was a bit of a tight fit for them, but it was cozy with Riku leaning back and Sora draped sideways across his lap with his head nestled into Riku's chest. Riku lazily had his hands draped around Sora's hips as the brunette filled him in about Ariel and her upcoming wedding.

"I'm so happy for her. Do you think we'll be able to make it?" Sora asked as he absently traced doodles into Riku's abdomen.

"We can certainly do our best! Though, I don't think I've ever been to a wedding," Riku squinted. "You said we could be on the boat or in the sea...do we wear suits if we're in the sea?"

Sora giggled, "I wouldn't overthink it too much. She'd just be happy that we're there! Though I would feel bad if we didn't bring her a gift. Maybe we can find her a souvenir while we're world-hopping."

Riku kissed his forehead while he idly ran his fingers through his spiky locks, "Whatever you'd like. What sort of stuff should we keep an eye out for?"

Sora pondered, "Uh...she likes just about everything from the human world. But now that she's marrying a prince, I'm sure she'll have all kinds of things to keep her entertained, otherwise I'd say we should we get her a set of forks."

"I'm sorry...forks?" Riku quirked an eyebrow. "I mean, I guess silverware is a good housewarming gift?"

"No, I mean, she collects them to comb her hair with. But she doesn't call them forks, she calls them dinglehoppers."

Riku blinked, unsure if Sora was serious. "Okay, then. Well, you said she dreams of other worlds, right? Maybe we can get her a snow globe or something."

"Would snow globes violate the world order?" Sora questioned, though he kind of liked the idea.

"Hm...that's a good question. Maybe we can ask Mickey next time we see him. He might have some advice."

"Oh, that's a good idea! He's been everywhere, I'm sure he knows how to give a gift without breaking the rules." Sora sighed dreamily. "A wedding at sea...their two worlds united...she really made her dream come true. I'm so happy for her. It kinda makes me wonder if--AAAAAAAAAGHHHH!!!" Sora cried out and straightened up immediately while desperately reaching behind himself.

Riku immediately sprung into action and carefully lowered Sora onto the floor, "What is it, Sora??"

"MY BACK!! I feel like something's biting me!!" Sora explained through gritted teeth. Whatever it was, it BURNED and it felt like getting shot, but in reverse? "Something's coming out of my back!"

"Hang on, don't scratch it, let me look at it!" Riku pried Sora's clawing hands off of himself before he could injure himself any further and made quick work of bending him forward and raising his shirts over his back and over his head. He gripped Sora's shoulder to comfort and distract him while the brunette's cries died down to annoyed whimpers of pain. Whatever it was seemed to be subsiding, but judging by Sora's squirming they weren't out of the woods yet. He quickly took out a pocket knife and slid them down the bandages that were on his lower back so that they fell off in one fell swoop. Trash can came out from under the console and gobbled them up while Riku inspected Sora's lower back where he was trying to reach with his hands earlier and that's when he found it! Protruding from Sora's lower back near his waistband was a small purple and black crystal-like shard forcing itself through his skin. He didn't appear to be bleeding, but Sora's skin glowing in that area as if light were forcing the offending black object out of his body. He remembered the jar Hiro gave him and grabbed some gloves. "Bear with me, Sora, I think one of those things Hiro mentioned is coming out of you. I might have to help it out the rest of the way." But just as he was about to grab it, the last of it exited Sora's flesh and landed with a little clink on the floor of the cockpit. "Oh, never mind. Neat." Riku gave a pleased little hum as he carefully picked it up and stuck it through the funny lid of the jar Hiro gave him, which should make it safe to carry around. "I think you're all clear!"

"Wait, what!?" Sora spun around, the backs of his shirts still stuck on the top of his head and gawked at the jar in Riku's hand. "It just came out on its own??"

"Well, King Triton did say that the light in your heart can flush them out," Riku reasoned as he carefully put the jar away. He then turned Sora back around so he could put some fresh bandages on him since he had to remove the other ones in a hurry.

Sora was whipped around and bent back over while Riku made quick work of bandaging him again. "I don't understand! We weren't even doing anything, right?"

"Well, what does your heart say? What were you feeling before it came out?" Riku asked as he wrapped his arms over Sora's middle over and over to wrap the gauze around him.

"Umm...uh...well, we were talking about Ariel and I was just thinking...," Sora felt a blush rise to his cheeks and found he couldn't finish his sentence.

The curiosity was getting to Riku as he paused and waited for the end of a sentence that never came. "Thinking...what?"

"I mean...I guess...it's just that..." Sora stammered and fiddled with his thumbs rapidly as his face became tomato red underneath his shirts. "I guess I was thinking about what it'd be like to get married...or rather...what our wedding would be like..."

"Oh..." Riku felt the heat rise in his own face as now it was his turn to be speechless. He fumbled with the rest of the bandages and pulled down Sora's shirts for him. He figured he should say something, but now Sora had him thinking about it too even as he helped him off the floor and pulled him back into his lap on the bench. "I guess maybe it made you very happy?"

Sora tried to hide his blush by burying his face into the crook of Riku's neck, not that it did him any good as the other male could feel the heat radiating off of him against his own flesh and he found it getting increasingly distracting. "Happy, yes, but all kinds of other feelings too. I guess thinking of how happy Ariel is going to be made me feel something, too."

"Hmm..." Riku rubbed his chin in thought while he kept his other arm wrapped securely around the brunette. "I feel like that makes sense. It's simple, but also kind of abstract. So I feel like there really isn't an easy way to figure out how to remove the others. We'll have to keep following your heart and see where it leads us. Otherwise, heck, we can spend all day planning a future wedding if it would get those things out of you any faster."

Sora let out a noise between a squeal and a laugh into Riku's neck, forcing the other to laugh as well. "Yeah, as fun as that sounds, I don't think that's it either. Don't worry, we'll figure it out. One is a lot of progress, right?"

Riku's eyes brightened noticeably and Sora felt his heart melt. "Wait, you're right. You just lengthened your--" he stopped himself before he could say lifespan. He didn't want it that way, not when their spirits were so high. "Your...timeframe!"

Sora laughed giddily and wrapped his arms around Riku's middle to give him the tightest, squeeziest hug he could muster. "We're already on our way, Riku!"

. . .

Some time later, after some snacks to celebrate and a good nap, they arrived at Olympus. After they disembarked, Sora had a little more pep in his step but he still needed to rely on his crutches, unfortunately. As Riku took the lead, he noticed Sora lagging a little behind and tried to encourage him, "His new place isn't much further, Sora. You're doing great."

"Hm? Oh, great..." Sora continued to look downcast as he pressed forward.

"Is something wrong?" Riku pressed. "If you need a break, we can sit down for a second."

Sora looked around the hustling and bustling city of Thebes. Ever since everything had been rebuilt it seems much livelier the last time he was here...if you don't count the fireballs and stuff, of course. It was beginning to feel more and more dangerous walking in the street as random chariots and wagons kept rolling by them. He didn't think he was going THAT much slower than the other citizens, but as he dodged yet another thing on wheels, he declined Riku's offer. Like they were going to find someplace quiet to sit in this area? "I'm fine, it's just...I don't know what to say to Herc. I mean, I want to thank him and his family for their gift, of course, but how do I...I dunno, I thought we would meet him at a training ground or something, not at his place. I feel like I'm intruding?"

Riku smiled knowingly. Sora's never ever been one to worry about intruding on one's personal space. "Are you embarrassed to be seen like this?"

Sora groaned and kicked a pebble before pushing himself alongside Riku, finally keeping pace properly now that he's been figured out. "I don't know if embarrassed is the right word? It's more like I feel like I've failed him and Phil. I promised I would regain my strength and come back and see them. Maybe even compete in the next games. But now it's the complete opposite."

"Opposite how? Sora, you're a hero. Hold your head high. You've cheated death for the umpteenth time and saved your friends and all of existence. When I last spoke to them, we weren't even sure when you were going to wake up. They're going to be so excited to see you up and about that the crutches won't even matter. Besides, since when have you started worrying about appearances?"

"Well...how much do you know about Olympus, first of all?" Sora asked.

"Just a little here and there. Why?"

Sora filled Riku in about the games and the ever-coveted title of True Hero, a hero so great that the gods put their image in the stars. He told him all about Hades and their battles in the underworld and how they've held onto the title of "Junior Heroes" for a very long time until at long last, the gods drew the three of them in the stars. "So I think that means we've made it to true hero, but the last time I was here, I must not have given off that vibe because nobody around here could see it. And now...here we are."

"So...they gave you your own constellation and you still want more?" Riku teased.

"Well, honestly I'd be happy if I could just get Phil to finally say it. But I don't want him to say it out of pity, either."

"Don't worry. There will be plenty of time for you to earn your "true hero" badge AFTER you get better. Maybe you should focus on that first before counting yourself out."

"Yeah, you may have a point there," Sora conceded and looked up as they approached a very large building with gleaming white columns. "Whoooaaa...Wait, is this it?"

"This is it," Riku confirmed and gazed up at it himself. "I haven't been inside, but I guess he has his own training yard in there now?"

"It's huge! It looks even bigger than the old coliseum!"

"SORA!" Hercules called out from behind the two of them. He had two large barrels on each shoulder with Meg following behind with a basket of vegetables.

"HERC!" Sora greeted happily just as the demi-god set down his load and pulled him into a bone-crushing hug.

"Aren't you a sight for sore eyes!" Hercules cheered. "When did you guys get here?"

"Herc...can't...breathe!" Sora gasped.

"Easy there, wonder boy or you'll send him back into a coma!" Meg warned him, though she meant it playfully.

"OH! Right! Sorry!" Herc grinned sheepishly and finally let Sora down. "Wish we would've known you were coming! We could've thrown a party!"

"Uh...yeah...about that, Herc," Sora started as he re-summoned his crutches to hold himself up properly. "I was wondering if we...or rather I...could ask a favor?"

"For you, buddy, anything!" the muscle-clad man grinned as he playfully bumped Sora on the shoulder with his fist. "But first, how about we all go inside? It's starting to get dark!"

Hercules welcomed them into his very large and open home, giving them a mini tour as he led the way to the kitchen so they could unload the groceries that they apparently just picked up. It reminded Riku a lot of the temples he'd read about in the books at Yen Sid's place. Besides the usual rooms one would expect, there was a large court yard in the center with what Sora thought was a pool, but apparently here it's just a large bath. There was a large indoor bathing area as well complete with a sauna. There was a large entertaining area with an elevated floor in the middle of it, like a small stage, a stable for Pegasus, and finally, of course, there was a small stadium in the backyard area complete with training equipment and such.

After the tour, they were invited to join them for dinner where Phil and Pegasus soon joined them. As they sat on large velvet cushions around a low table in the warmly-lit dining room, they merrily caught up and shared a large meal consisting of some roasted beast and fresh bread with copious amounts of fresh grape juice. Both declined any wine, naturally. For dessert, they sampled cheese on crackers with slices of fresh fruit. After they were all well-fed they began winding down and lounged lazily while gazing up at the stars through the open ceiling. They swapped stories for a long time while Sora leaned his back into Riku's chest to give himself a little more back support and sneak in a little not cuddle but still a cuddle after taking a cue from Meg who was doing the same strategic lean against Herc. At some point, Phil had already had too much wine and had spent the majority of the time re-enacting his favorite stories of Hercules' trials and of Sora's battles. As entertaining as it was, he still had a lot of critique to offer Sora but the brunette was pleased to see for all his complaints, he was just as hard on Herc. Finally, the hero trainer ran out of steam and sat back down in his seat after an uproarious retelling of their fight with the Hydra and resumed stuffing his face with whatever was left on the table. "So Sora, how long do you two plan to stay in Thebes? You're more than welcome to stay here for your visit. There's plenty of room, as you can clearly see," the hero offered.

"That's very nice of you, Herc. But you see, that's kinda what I wanted to talk to you about," Sora started while rubbing the back of his head sheepishly.

"Oh yeah, you mentioned that you wanted to ask Wonder Boy for a favor. Do go on!" Meg encouraged while she sipped from her goblet.

"Well, I'm not going to sugarcoat it..." Sora warned and began telling them about what they learned so far about his condition and how he could end up weaker so he needs to build his strength while he still can. The room grew very quiet as the group listened intently. It was very clear that all of them were doing their best to not look sad as he spoke of his potential deadline but Sora could see from the way Meg was wringing Herc's hand in her lap that she was very worried. Even Phil and Pegasus had stopped eating. Sora finally wrapped it up with his request, "So we're on a quest to find out how to get the shards removed. But as you can probably tell, I'm not in the best shape I've ever been and I need to get stronger so that I can make the journey with Riku. So I'm asking you if you wouldn't mind training me again, Phil?"

Phil sighed and walked around the table to stand next to Sora. With the brunette on the floor, the two were eye level as the goat half-ling gripped his shoulder intently, "Kid, you're welcome here any time. My door's always open for you. But are you sure this is really what you want right now?"

"It is," Sora nodded firmly. "Those guys are still out there somewhere and we have a long way to go before I can fully recover. I need to be ready...before I get any worse."

"Alright, but you know the rules. I'm not going easy on you!"

"Right!" Sora grinned. "I wouldn't have it any other way!"

"You got it, kid!" Phil grinned proudly and raised a fist to mock punch Sora across the chin. "So it's settled. We'll start bright and early tomorrow. You'll both be staying here in the meantime."

"Great!" Herc cheered. "Don't worry, Sora. I'll help, too! We'll have you back in the ring in no time!"

"Thanks, guys. I knew I could count on you! Oh, and thank you for the uh..." he knocked on his chest to ring his chest plate.

"Glad you like it! While you're in town we'll have to visit my dad sometime. He'll be happy to know that it fits."

"Well, uh, before we get all excited..." Riku slowly raised a finger to interject. "I'm afraid I have a favor to ask as well."

Phil crossed his arms and raised an eyebrow at Riku, "No guarantees for you, pal."

Riku chuckled a little nervously but Hercules assured him he didn't mean it. "It's just that," Riku continued, "While Sora's training, I'm afraid I still have to carry out my missions. If he's going to stay here, I need somebody to help look after him, if that's okay?"

Meg raised her hand, "Don't worry, I got you covered. You just tell me what you need done and I'll take good care of Sora while you're gone."

Sora got this reeeeeeeeeally funny feeling in his stomach from the way she said that. Why does taking care of him sound suggestive when Meg says it? He mentally shook himself and shoved those thoughts aside. He couldn't help but feel a little worse for forgetting that he's still basically a walking mummy and since he promised Riku he wouldn't look at himself, he's still going to need a lot of help, even without the training! "I can't thank you guys enough," Sora bowed his head.

"Nah, think nothing of it, buddy. Don't sweat it. We're going to have a lot of fun and you'll be out exploring the world again in no time, just you wait," Herc winked.

"Yeah, fun!" Phil huffed. "You're waking up early too, Champ. So all of you skedaddle! Time for bed. Chop chop!" the trainer ordered and the three men quickly obeyed with Meg bringing up the rear chuckling to herself.

The young couple showed Sora and Riku where they'd be staying and gave them directions to all the amenities. Hercules left Meg with them for the moment while he ran off to put Pegasus to bed and Riku took the opportunity to show her what he meant by looking after Sora. He explained that if all goes well, he'll be able to change the bandages before he leaves and he'll do it as soon as he gets back by the evening. Under no circumstances should Sora ever get unwrapped but if he does, there's Mr. Trashcan. He explained that nobody should touch him or the bandages and it's just safer to leave Sora be until he gets back. But if he's feeling weak or in pain, here's the stash of potions! At least, that was the basic rundown. "Got it. Sounds easy enough. Don't worry your pretty little head over a thing. After dealing with Hades, nothing really surprises me anymore."

The comment earned a sideglance from Sora. Did she just call Riku pretty?

Riku didn't acknowledge it and simply thanked her again and of course thanked her and Hercules for their hospitality. Just as she was about to bid them good night, Meg remembered something! "Hey, you boys into live theater?"

The both of them blinked at the random question and shrugged at each other. "I don't know," Sora answered. "I don't think we've ever been to a live show."

"Well you're in luck. The theater is throwing a performance in honor of Wonder Boy's achievements. They're usually a lot of fun to watch and of course there's food. Naturally we got the best seats in the house. So how about it? Would you boys like to join Wonder Boy and I on a double date?"

"Uhhh..."

"Sure!" Sora answered for the both of them. "When's the play?"

"It's in a week from now. Better be sure to call off work that day, Riku," Meg winked. "Oh, I can't wait. We haven't had a reason to get dressed up in a while!"

"Wait, dressed up?" Riku asked.

"Oh, don't you worry about a thing. We got stuff you two can wear. I'm sure you'll both look dashing. Anyways, we'll talk details later. Sleep tight, you two!"

"Good night, Meg!" they bid in unison and waved a little awkwardly as she closed the door behind her.

The two stared blankly at the door for a few seconds before finally turning to each other and letting out a nervous laugh.

"So...a double date, huh?" Riku chuckled.

"I'm sorry for answering for both of us. But it really does sound like fun, doesn't it?" Sora grinned as he limped over to the large, cushy bed and flopped down on it. The bedframe was low but it had tall posts with sheer mosquito net curtains made of thin muslin. The mattress itself was stuffed with goose feathers and had a large woven red blanket on top of soft cotton sheets. "Oooh~ Soft~," Sora commented as he sank into the mattress.

"Well don't get too comfortable. Bath time first, remember?" Riku pointed out, much to Sora's dismay. The brunette was concerned about such a large body of water being cold while Riku argued that it's a hot summer night, it might be very comfortable.

Eventually, Riku convinces Sora to come with him to the more private bathing area which was smaller than the one in the courtyard but still resembled a swimming pool in the way that it was square, had different depths, and was decorated with a floral tile mosaic. There was a fair amount of steam floating around in the mostly enclosed space, despite having a small open ceiling, but Sora suspected it was because of the nearby sauna. Riku dipped his toes in first and assured Sora that it was pleasantly warm. "We were just in the water in Atlantica, remember?" Sora whined. "Why do we even need a bath?"

"Because you were in SALT water and your skin's going to be itchy later if you don't. I know how you get and I don't want you whining in the middle of the night about not being able to scratch yourself."

"Ughhhhh, fiiiiiiiiine!" Sora conceded dramatically and began ripping his clothes off and laying them in a pile next to the neatly folded pajamas that Riku had already gotten out of their rucksacks.

Riku was already in the bath and feeling the smooth tile with his feet while Sora was getting undressed. He heard the other male clear his throat and looked up to see him with his arms crossed and tapping his foot impatiently, nude except for his chest plate and bandages. "What?"

"You're the one who said I can't take this stuff off by myself, right?" Sora huffed. "Or am I supposed to bathe with it on?" Riku gave an apologetic look and simply offered his hand out to help Sora step into the bath. Sora whined quietly and pouted but took Riku's hand as he carefully walked the steps into the tub. After allowing himself to submerge for a few moments, he decided the temperature wasn't that bad at all. It really felt like a warmer than average swimming pool; not quite the hot bath he would've preferred, but it was nice. He supposed the reason he couldn't take the bandages off was because Riku didn't know if this bath could be drained and he couldn't risk Sora contaminated it with his black goop. Truth be told, neither were sure if they were allowed to use soap, either. "Maybe it's like the hot springs back at home where you have to shower before you get in?" Sora suggested.

"I guess that would make more sense. But at least we're not covered in salt water anymore," Riku observed while he floated lazily on his back to gaze at the stars shining above through the open ceiling.

"Hm," Sora nodded and dunked himself under the surface a couple of times to thoroughly rinse out his hair as it obviously gathers the most salt and therefore his scalp is usually the itchiest part of his body after swimming in the ocean. Once he felt thoroughly rinsed, or as rinsed as one can be while wearing a chest plate and bandages, he glanced back over at Riku and suddenly felt the water get really hot...or maybe that was his face. Though there was plenty of moonlight tonight, the bathing area was lit with a few torches and the way their warm light bounced off the water and onto Riku's pale skin made him look dazzling. When he wasn't floating near the light of the torches, the moonlight graced his body just as beautifully, subtly lighting his pale muscular frame and silver hair in such a way that he looked like he could've been a floating marble statue of Adonis. Actually scratch that, Adonis has nothing on Riku. He didn't know why he still felt guilty for staring as he sat on one of the lower levels of the bath so that only his head stayed above the surface, but the longer he drank in the sight of him lazily drifting, the more wondered if it was some other emotion he was actually feeling...besides obvious arousal of course.

As his eyes wandered down the length of his body, they fell upon the scar on Riku's left hip and he felt a pang of instant guilt...but also something that felt like frustration? He longed to touch Riku all over. He craved more intimacy but he was so very confused. He had to keep reminding himself that they haven't been "official" for very long but why does it also feel like it's always been this way? They grew up together, bathed together as children, but now they're bathing together as a couple. By now Riku's probably touched every inch of his body while Sora's been unconscious and he's definitely touched MOST of Riku even before this. Before it wasn't a big deal, but now it is? Or maybe it sort of was a big deal and he was just too dumb to realize how amazing they had it? He supposed that was probably a very strong possibility. He recalled through the encounters he's had with multiple people over the past couple of years, how he observed their relationships with the ones they care about, and tried over and over again to see if he and Riku's relationship fit into any of the molds. But no matter how hard he thought about it, he couldn't quite find a mold that fit them. Now here they are, they've defined their relationship at long last but instead of freeing, Sora still feels somewhat resricted. Was it because he feels like that they have to follow normal couple constraints? Maybe they've labeled themselves, but they've definitely broken the mold and shattered it six ways to Sunday already. Just a while ago they were nervous over the prospect of a first date for crying out loud when just a few days before they were cuddling naked in the bathtub!

Constraints be damned! He longed to touch Riku intimately and he was going to tell him and do it! He stood up in the tub and inched towards Riku whose eyes had drifted closed by this point. When he was just inches away he reached a hand out and gazed down at him, gazed down at his hip scar, and then the bandages on his wrist, and...hesitated. Constraints...Constraints be damned, huh? He looked down at his tightly wrapped body and then back to Riku, thoughts racing through his mind that he couldn't get a firm grasp on, but all he knew is that he suddenly felt very sad and frustrated and hurt. Tears stung at his eyes and he felt his body tremble as a cold chill ran down his spine. "R...Riku..." he managed to whimper as unshed tears began to choke him.

The silverette was startled, not having realized that Sora was standing so close and floundered for a second as he uprighted himself and noticed the distressed look on the brunette's face. "Sora? Sora what's wrong?" he pulled him close by his shoulders and became more worried as the smaller male trembled underneath his hands.

"Just...hold me, please?" Sora begged as large tears finally broke free from the wells of his eyes.

Riku gathered Sora into his arms and without further question and held him as tightly as he could muster without hurting him and carried him to one of the steps so he could sit and cradle him while the teen clung to him and sniffled quietly. For a while the only sounds heard were the sounds of Sora's quickening breaths bouncing off the granite walls as he struggled to calm himself while Riku continued to hold him and soothingly stroke his damp hair and the back of his neck. The brunette thought that being in Riku's warm embrace would make him feel better, but just felt worse and worse for the more he pressed into him in an effort to satisfy his deep unknown need, the more he realized how separated from Riku he felt as bandages and chest plate prevented true skin to skin contact. That's when it finally hit him that all he wanted was his heart to be as close to Riku's as possible, spiritually and physically. He longed to feel the other's heart beat against his own bare chest and he longed for the two to open up like they used to before disaster started appearing around every corner and the risk of one wrong word being your last was too great to dare say anything that you might not be able to apologize for the next day. He couldn't take much more of this. It wasn't fair to either of them. Finally, Sora decided to break the silence and pulled back slightly so he could look Riku in his beautiful teal eyes. "Riku...does your hip still hurt?" he asked as he tried hard not to sniffle too much.

If Riku was taken aback by the question, he didn't really let it on, "Don't worry, you're not heavy."

Sora let out a small laugh despite himself. "No no, I meant...like does it still bother you?"

"It's fine for the most part, if I don't push myself too hard. Why?"

"Can I touch it?" Sora asked sincerely.

Riku's brow began to furrow with confusion and also conflict. He didn't want to refuse a request from Sora, especially seeing how he's clearly very upset about something but he didn't really want anybody touching it. Healing his wrist was one thing, but that was also his way of finally forgiving himself for what he did to Roxas to get Sora back. Though he wore the scar proudly as he got it from protecting Sora, he grew to accept the nagging pain in his hip as a reminder to not make snap decisions. After all, desperate snap decisions led him to choosing the darkness as he grew jealous of Sora and briefly forgot the promise he made long ago. Desperate and arguably reckless decisions led him to follow along with DiZ's schemes. Now he has to move with more deliberation, his decisions much more methodical because he can't move as carefree as he used to. It was his constant reminder to not act on impulse; to keep him grounded. Sora can act as impulsively as he wants though, because no matter what he does or how high he tries to fly, he'll be there to catch him when he falls. That being said, his sentimentality with his injury has grown out of a need to cope with it and for the need of a reason to tell Sora in case he ever blames himself. "Uh...why?" he suddenly began to feel nervous as Sora's eyes stared him down intently, despite being puffy and red from his previously shed tears. He tried to play it off, "You don't want to touch it. Probably looks pruny and feels gross from being in the bath." This immediately seems to be the wrong answer as he saw hurt appear in Sora's giant sapphire eyes.

"Do you think...I look gross without my bandages on?" Sora asks while staring down at himself.

"Of course not! I love every bit of you, Sora. Why would you ask such a thing?" Riku pleaded for an answer as he cupped Sora's face in his hands, forcing him to look back up at him while he kissed his tears away.

"Well...why else won't you let me see myself?" Sora managed to ask between Riku's sweet kisses. "As long as you love me, I don't care what it looks like. All this stuff is doing making me feel separated from you. I want to hold you so bad...my heart ACHES because it wants to be close to yours, but I can barely feel anything!" he explained while trying to hold back another wave of tears. "And even we touch and I'm unwrapped, you blindfold me and then I can't see you either. It just doesn't seem fair."

Riku cuddled Sora close to his chest and rested his chin on top of his head while he struggled to blink back his own tears. He couldn't give in! He had to be strong for Sora's own good. Quietly, he lifted them both out of the bath and Sora didn't even have the energy to protest as Riku wrapped him in a large towel and stood him up for just a second while he wrapped a towel around his own waist and gathered both their clothes and unused pajamas. Sora shivered in the towel, not really paying attention as Riku gathered their stuff until said items were shoved into his hands and Riku scooped him up bridal style to carry him back to their room. Sora felt his face turn scarlet as he worried over the possibility of somebody seeing them walk half naked back to their room, but it was a short walk so no harm done. Riku still hadn't said anything even as he gently set upright on the bed and took their things from his hands to set on a nearby table. He watched Riku go through his paces while ruffling his hair dry with the towel that's now no longer on his waist but instead draped around his shoulders. Once again, Sora found himself trying not to stare but as he followed Riku's example and half-heartedly began patting his own hair dry. It seemed pointless to even try since his bandages were still soaked. Upon that realization, he quickly stood up from the bed so he wouldn't get it wet which caught Riku's attention. The older male was knelt on the floor digging through his rucksack and upon seeing Sora stand, he invited him over with an outstretched hand to join him on the rug. The brunette of course accepted his hand and his invitation and let Riku guide him to the floor where he sat obediently while Riku began undoing his chest plate and bandages. Even if he wasn't happy about this arrangement, Sora kept his promise and kept his eyes closed the entire time. He shivered as the protective wrappings were shed away and couldn't help but let out a soft sigh as Riku came behind and patted the revealed skin dry with his own towel. All the places he couldn't touch, Riku blew dry with his own breath which made Sora shiver all the way down to his toes. Riku STILL wasn't saying anything and the atmosphere felt peculiar. He didn't seem angry or put off, but there was an air of anticipation like he wasn't intending to ignore Sora's question, but was he EVER going to answer?

He felt carpet shift slightly and the torchlight shifting behind his eyelids hinted that Riku was now kneeling in front of him. Sora then felt a pang of sadness as he anticipated the bandages. Finally, he was bare for a splendid moment but yet again he can't touch Riku. But then he felt Riku's larger hand wrap around his own while his gentle voice rang in his ears, "Come here."

Sora bit his lower lip to keep from sobbing happily as he allowed Riku to pull him close and into his lap and FINALLY he could feel their hearts touch without any water or bandages or any chest plate between them. As he reveled in the moment he felt both their hearts pound against each other and could even feel Riku's chest heave against his own, gently pushing back and forth against each other as they breathed. "I'm sorry, Sora...but please trust my judgement for a little while longer, okay?"

"But--"

Riku silenced his protest with a soft kiss and Sora melted at the sweet taste. It felt like he was being bribed and he almost didn't care. "Keep your eyes closed," he warned quietly in a tone that made the brunette tremble again.

"I-I am. They're closed," he tried to assure him but felt embarrassed when his voice came out in a high-pitched squeak.

As if to ensure that they really did stay closed, Riku pulled Sora in very close and gave him an even deeper kiss, trapping his lips and his hips as he wrapped one arm firmly around him. If it weren't for Riku keeping a hold on him, the smaller male would felt like he was drowning as he struggled to breathe while Riku devoured his mouth. The keyblade master's toned body felt so hot when pressed against his own shivering form. The continued contact had him mewling for mercy into the other's mouth but he still did not let up, instead he further deepened the kiss as he took advantage of Sora's mewling to slip his tongue right past his opening lips to delve further into his mouth and claim it as his own territory.

Riku greedily invaded his lover's sweet mouth and drank in every moan and whimper as he felt the other become more and more breathless. He felt Sora's hands grip his shoulders tighter and tighter and couldn't help but feel a sense of pride as Sora refused to pull away despite Riku's advances no doubt making him lightheaded. Their deep kiss was beginning to get sloppy as Sora started making attempts to ward off Riku's tongue but was ultimately powerless and further enticed the silver-haired male to further his tongue's assault, going so far as to see how deeply his tongue could reach before he could make Sora squirm. The smaller teen did seem to choke ever so slightly for about half a second, but as quickly as it happened, Riku felt him relax in his grip and seemingly let his head fall back limply as he surrendered himself completely. The gesture made Riku moan into his partner's mouth as he accepted the open invitation and leaned further forward to attack his mouth at a new angle. Finally, he decided he wanted to taste his beautiful exposed neck and at long last pulled his lips away, leaving Sora panting in his grasp. He wouldn't let Sora tilt his head back up though. He surrendered his neck to him and he was going to enjoy his prize. He ghosted his lips along his jawline while panting softly as he recovered from his own game and felt his soft face twitch beneath his lips as he trailed them down, down, and down until he could feel Sora's rapid pulse beneath them. He pressed a wet kiss there and blew cool air on the spot softly, earning a shuddering mewl from his prey. It was just then he noticed his chin grazing the chain of Sora's necklace, the metal warm from Sora's flesh. He distracted himself momentarily to kiss along the skin beneath the chain with tiny teasing smooches all the way down to his collarbone. This definitely made the teen squirm in his grip and he realized between the two of them there were two other problems that were going to need tending to very soon. For a moment he even briefly wondered if he could possibly bring Sora to completion just by kissing him alone. Though tempting, it might be kind of cruel. Oh but it was so very very tempting. Perhaps he could make it up to him by giving him what he asked for earlier. "Keep them closed," he warned again as he used his free hand to pry Sora's right arm from his shoulder and guided it down to rest his fingers on his left hip right above his scar. He felt Sora flinch in realization but he didn't pull his hand away, instead soft fingers gently caressed and groped him with featherlight touches as they traced along the scarred tissue.

Riku hissed softly into Sora's neck as he clutched him tighter with both hands now. Though gentle, Sora's touched burned, but in the best way possible. "S...Sora..."

"Riku..." Sora moaned breathily towards the ceiling in a voice that almost made Riku lose it right there with how soft and needy it sounded.

He returned his lips to Sora's pulse spot and kept them pressed there and felt Sora's heart pound as his fingers trembled and fondled Riku's hip. Riku found himself shaking hard, but again, not in a bad way, just in a way that made him crave more of his best friend's touch. "F-f-fuuuuuuck, Sora..."

"Riku...please..." Sora pleaded as his hand began to leave Riku's hip and graze dangerously close to the growing set of problems that were now resting directly against each other and getting pressed tightly between them.

Shoot, Sora's going to win this game and he didn't even know he was playing! Riku attempted to muffle his own moans and hold back his release by biting into Sora's shoulder but proved fruitless as his hips bucked angrily with need. He grasped Sora tightly in his grip and growled into his shoulder as he thrust hard into the other's abdomen. It only took three good strokes before he found release.

Sora felt something wet and hot spurt all over his stomach as Riku vibrated violently against him and bit him hard on the shoulder. To keep himself from screaming he pulled his hand off of Riku's hip to clasp over his own mouth, dry sobbing into his palm as he felt a different kind of pain than what he was accustomed to. Riku's teeth hurt, but they felt good too? Regardless, he didn't get a chance to process any of it because Riku was still rubbing against him as he rode out his release and the hot, wet friction caused him to scream again as his own release took hold of him, the evidence of his pleasure adding to the mess that Riku had already made. He felt strangely dizzy but kept his eyes and his mouth tightly closed, now resorting to using both hands to do so as he didn't trust his reflexes to not betray him. After everything seemed to calm down between them, Sora was just about to uncover his mouth when he felt white hot pain erupt from the spot on his shoulder where Riku's lips still were. But this time, he knew what it was!

"R-Riku...another one is coming!" he hissed through gritted teeth.

In his after glow induced stupor, Riku thought Sora meant he was cumming again at first but then felt something hard and cold press back against his lips despite how soft and hot the rest of Sora's skin felt. He nearly chipped a tooth as the protruding object ejected itself from Sora's shoulder and into his mouth and he quickly spat it out and fumbled for the jar in his nearby satchel to stick it in.

Sora felt the pain alleviate almost immediately but kept his hand over his eyes. "Is it...was it another one?"

"Yeah...you did it. You pushed out another one!" Riku cheered and pulled him into a messy hug, to which they both groaned as it now felt kind cold and sticky. "Uh...how about I get us cleaned up? Hang tight."

In a matter of minutes, Riku had sponge-bathed Sora clean and had him all dry and put back into fresh bandages so that he was free to open his eyes again. Thankfully they had somehow crawled onto Riku's towel at some point so the carpet was spared from receiving any backsplash. Also, Riku had to cast curaga several times to not only heal the bite mark he made, but the wound in Sora's chest they accidently opened while grinding each other, AND he nearly depleted Sora of any energy his body had to fend off the rest of the dark sludge that still resided in his body. Whoops~

"How did you not feel your chest opening up, Sora?" Riku asked as he helped the brunette get into bed.

"When I'm with you, I feel like a lot of my pain goes away. Plus...I think some things are just easier to ignore in the heat of the moment," he explained simply while struggling to fight back a yawn as Riku pulled the blankets over him.

Riku extinguished the torch lights and pulled the mosquito nets closed before joining Sora in the bed and pulling him into a cuddle. "So...marriage plans and orgasms are the cure, huh?" Riku joked tiredly.

"SHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH, we don't know that! Don't start getting any ideas!" Sora hissed in a whisper.

"You can't tell me what to dream," Riku protested as he yawned loudly. "What a day...I wonder how much time we have to test my theory in the morning?"

"Don't even think about it. If Phil catches us doing the dirty, I'll never forgive you."


	13. Disappointment, Pain for Which There is No Ointment

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Demigods have faced the odds  
And ended up a mockery  
Don't believe the stories  
That you read on all the crockery
> 
> To be a true hero, kid, is a dying art  
Like painting a masterpiece, it's a work of heart
> 
> It takes more than sinew  
Comes down to what's in you.
> 
> You have to continue to grow.

In the wee hours of the morning, instead of being greeted by the rising sun, the two were awakened by a beeping and buzzing coming from Riku's gummi phone.

"Five more minutes..." Sora mumbled as he clung tight to Riku who was already inching to get off the bed and reach for his phone.

"I think Mickey is sending me texts," Riku protested as he continued to strain for his phone that was glowing inside the rucksack on the floor. "It might be important."

Sora held on tight and nibbled Riku's ear. "If it were that important, he'd call, not text," the brunette reasoned.

Riku nearly gave in as he melted beneath Sora. "You might have a point there--" but then his ringtone actually went off, meaning he was receiving a call and Sora groaned in annoyance as Riku peeled himself away and hurried to answer it.

Sora huffed and sat up with difficulty to scratch his head and try to fluff out his bed hair. With eyes barely open, he snuck a glance at the window, half-expecting to be blinded by the sun's morning rays only to find the sky was a very dark orange and red, meaning there was still a good amount of time left before the sun was even ready to get out of bed...so why should they? He looked over at Riku to see the silverette already stripped out of his pajamas and halfway through putting on his gear while yammering to King Mickey on the phone. From the sound of it, Riku was giving him the rundown of what happened yesterday.

_Yesterday..._ Sora let out a large yawn, a little louder than he meant to as he rubbed the sleep from his eyes. Yesterday they hopped through...three worlds, was it? That was a lot of traveling, even for him. Already so much has happened and just thinking about it made him feel exhausted all over again. But the longer he thought about it and watched Riku running around to get himself ready for the day, the more he realized he didn't want to go back to sleep; he just wanted to go back to cuddling with Riku. Clearly that wasn't going to happen, so he rolled over to get out of bed, only to fall flat on his face as soon as he tried to stand on his feet. "OOF!"

"Sora!" Riku cried out in alarm and nearly dropped the phone as he hurried over to get Sora to sit upright on the bed. "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine, I'm fine!" Sora insisted, trying to laugh it off as he rubbed his chin. "Guess my legs are just made of jelly this morning, that's all."

"Riku...Riku...? Is everything alright?" called the voice from the speaker on Riku's phone.

Riku gave Sora one last concerned glance before putting the phone back up to his ear. "Everything's fine. He just stumbled," he looked up to Sora again who nodded in confirmation. "I'll need a little bit of time before I can meet you at Yen Sid's. I'll see you then." The king and Riku exchanged quick good-byes before he hung up and smiled at Sora apologetically. "So I guess you're ready to get out of bed, Sleepyhead?"

"Hmmmmmmm...not really...but if I must..." Sora gave a lazy smirk and raised his arms in a "carry me" gesture to which Riku snorted, but obliged, lifting him off the bed and carrying him the short distance to the rug where he had the supplies already set out. Keeping to his promise, Sora kept his eyes closed while Riku peeled off his bandages and the loyal trash can came out from under the bed to nom them up. They were soaked in black, front and back. Curiously, Riku ran his fingers all over Sora's healing scars and everywhere else he could think of to check for any signs of more crystals maybe appearing. The brunette couldn't help but sigh softly as the touches from Riku's fingertips almost burned as they brushed and gently prodded all over his skin. Though Riku has probably done this at least over a hundred times, he was still so gentle every time he did it and always took his time. Once the older male was satisfied and finished wrapping gauze around his chest, Sora knew it was safe to open his eyes just as he was getting his lower back and abdomen wrapped up.

"What's your pain level today?" Riku asked as he finished tying and began buckling Sora into his chest plate next.

"Hm...right now...I guess it's a four?" Sora tilted his mouth in thought. He almost said the real test would be when Riku left, but he kept it to himself. Maybe if he didn't think so much about Riku leaving him alone for the day it wouldn't hurt as much. After all, Riku promised to be back in the evenings. Until then, he should focus on getting stronger as he worked with Phil and Herc.

"Well that's good," Riku smiled and had Sora face him so he could begin wrapping his wrists. "I'm going to double bandage these so you'll have a little more support," he explained.

"Thanks, Riku," Sora smiled and gave Riku a kiss on the cheek for his thoughtfulness. It also made him so happy that Riku genuinely believed that he might be able to wield his keyblade today and was preparing him for it. It gave him more confidence in himself, that's for sure.

Just as Riku had finished getting Sora ready, a pounding on the door startled Riku so badly he put a protective arm in front of Sora while summoning Braveheart with the other. "Breakfast is in five, champ!" Phil yelled through the door.

Riku let out a relieved sigh and dismissed his keyblade while Sora smiled sheepishly at him. "Alright! Be there in a sec!" Sora answered back and both waited for the sound of his hooves clacking down the hall to disappear before the both of them chuckled awkwardly.

"Well, it sounds like everybody else is awake too," Riku noted as he straightened up and gave Sora a hand to lift him to his feet. "I should get going. Will you be alright?"

"I'll be fine," Sora assured him while summoning a crutch to lean on. "But you're not going to stay for breakfast?"

Riku gave him a kiss. It was quick but no less soft than all of the others. "Nah, I'll grab something at Yen Sid's. The sooner I leave, the sooner I can come back."

"I guess that's true," the brunette's lips couldn't help but turn in a pout anyway, a pout which Riku kissed away again.

"I'll be back before you know it. In the meantime, you have your own mission, right?"

Sora nodded, "You're right. Promise you'll be careful."

"I promise. And you promise to do the same, that also means to not push yourself too hard."

"I promise," Sora chuckled and earned one last kiss from Riku before they exited the room together. They walked about halfway to the dining room before Riku took his leave out the front and left Sora to go to breakfast by himself.

In the dining room, Hercules was already there with a stack of bread all made up with honey and sesame seeds on his plate. "Good morning, Sora!" he greeted cheerfully. "Ready for your first day of training?"

"You bet!" Sora tried to grin back just as enthusiastically before joining him at the table. There was a lot of fruit available, but he went for some toasted bread and honey. Just as he was spreading it, Herc grabbed a handful of toasted sesame seeds and dumped them on his toast.

"They're good for ya! Gives you energy!" Herc explained through a mouthful of food.

Sora shrugged and started eating. He found he didn't mind the sesame seeds so much since the bread was toasted. He always thought of them as just toppings on a bun, but if somebody like Hercules was recommending them, there must be something to it.

"Don't eat too much right away," Herc advised as he shoved down what must've been his seventh slice of bread since Sora had arrived. "The morning training might be enough to unsettle your stomach. But don't worry, we'll have our real breakfast in a couple of hours."

"Oh, okay," Sora nodded and decided to just stick to two slices of toast. By the time he was halfway finished with his first slice, he felt a small tugging sensation in his heart and looked up at the skylight just in time to see the gummi ship flying away. The second it was out of sight, he felt like somebody had thrown a heavy blanket over his shoulders, but not in a good way. He even felt soreness begin to creep through his bones.

Hercules had just polished off his last slice of bread when he noticed Sora had stopped eating and looked a little downcast, maybe even pale. "You okay?"

"Huh? Oh, I'm fine. Guess I'm still waking up," Sora smiled and rubbed the back of his head. "So what's Phil got in store for us today?" he changed the subject before getting back to his not-breakfast.

"Well, first we warm up, maybe run laps, and then I'm sure Phil will want you to take a few practice swings to see where you're at before we do anything else," Herc explained before chugging down some water. "Make sure you're hydrated. It's already pretty warm this morning."

. . .

After they finished eating, Hercules led Sora out into the training area where Phil was already waiting to give them instruction. "Alright, champs, let's get the ball rolling!"

First he had them warm up with stretches, thankfully next to a balance beam so Sora could catch himself if he needed to. Reaching down to touch his toes was no problem, but getting back up was a little difficult. Windmills, no problem. Jumping jacks...a little bit of a problem. His back certainly didn't enjoy the jumping part. Sit-ups, not as big of a problem as jumping jacks, surprisingly. Monkey bars were a little tricky due to the residual numbness in his fingers, but he managed. Running laps: he made one lap before he needed to stop and lean on a crutch.

"I'm sorry..." Sora apologized to Phil as he panted and winced through the pain in his legs. He had the energy to keep going, but his legs were screaming at him to stop and he couldn't help but be hard on himself as Hercules lapped him for the sixth time while he stood there.

"Hey, hey! Take it easy. It's your first day! To be honest, kid, I didn't think you'd make it through ONE lap," Phil said in an attempt to kind of cheer him up.

"Heeeeey, what do you mean by that?" Sora half-heartedly glared.

"For crying out loud, kid! You came to dinner on crutches!"

"I'm still ON crutches," Sora huffed.

"Yeah, after you RAN! Jeez, kid, lighten up. Let me tell you when you can beat yourself up, a'ight?" Phil scolded with his fists on his hips. "I promised you I wouldn't go easy on you, but that means you also have to trust me when I tell you to trust your limits and leave it to me to tell you when you can do better. Capiche?"

"Ok, coach," Sora wiped the sweat from his brow and straightened up. "So what's next?"

"There's my guy!" Phil smiled and playfully punched Sora in the side of his thigh before leading him back to the center of the track where there was more equipment waiting for them...and a lot of barrels.

Sora felt an overwhelming sense of nostalgia upon seeing the barrels...but also dread. Phil looked at his face and chuckled before whistling for Herc to stop running and join them. He pointed at a barrel which Herc obediently grabbed from the top of the pile and placed in front of Sora.

"Alright, kid, I think you know what to do. Show me what you got!" Phil cheered as he stood back a safe distance.

"Sure, no sweat," Sora gave a thumbs up and focused on his target. It's just a barrel. He's smashed hundreds of these things. No big deal. Just a barrel. He summoned the lighter version of his keyblade into his hand and took his stance. He took a second to gather himself and to make sure his breathing was steady before lunging forward with everything he had to WHACK the barrel right in the middle. It actually became airborne and flew a decent distance of about six feet before shattering as it hit another barrel.

"Nice job, Sora!" Herc cheered.

Sora turned and gave a slightly embarrassed chuckle, but enjoyed the praise all the same. Phil gave an approving nod and had the olympian set up three more barrels in a row.

_No problem, I can take them all out with a wider slash. I can do this._ Sora gripped his keyblade and focused his stance again but as he clutched the handle, something already felt off. Whatever it was, he chose to ignore it, instead opting to take a few more deep breaths to steady himself before again charging forward and extending the berth of his swing to swipe at all three at once! He knocked away the first one, but as soon as he made contact with the second, his keyblade came to a dead STOP as it smacked the barrel and shook his entire arm all the way up to his shoulder. He lost his grip on his keyblade as pain shot through his body. The keyblade disappeared before it even hit the ground as Sora clutched his right shoulder and groaned in pain through gritted teeth.

The other two watched in concern as Sora trembled for a few seconds, but it was Phil who finally broke the silence, "That was a good swing, kid! Try giving it another shot!"

_Right...maybe it bounced because I was using a lighter keyblade._ Sora reasoned as he shook out the pain that was now throbbing in his wrist. He gave his arm a few windmill swings before concentrating and summoning his Kingdom Key. The difference in weight was immediately noticeable but Sora didn't dare let his grip falter and held onto it tightly with both hands in front of him. His trusty keyblade felt heavy, but it was familiar and felt...right. Maybe this time don't try to knock the other two out at once. Maybe a downward slash would do the trick. He readied his stance once again and ran for it, taking a large leap and swinging downward from up high. He brought his keyblade down on top of the barrel with everything he had only for it to smack the top and instead of busting through, it bounced and knocked Sora's momentum off course. Normally he would flip forward after making leaping downward slash or land squarely down on his feet but when the barrel didn't give and instead tilted forward, he lost the trajectory he needed and fell back, landing with a THUD on top of the now sideways barrel. "AGH!!" he exclaimed as he landed, all four limbs hanging limply on either side of the barrel as his keyblade disappeared from his grip.

The awful landing earned a wince from both spectators and they hurried forward to check on him. Herc got there first and quickly lifted Sora to his feet. "That was really ambitious, Sora!" Hercules chuckled nervously. "Are you okay? Are you hurt?"

"Just my pride," Sora said stiffly though truth to be told, he felt like he was on the verge of collapsing as pain radiated up his spine. "I can't figure out what I'm doing wrong," he hissed in frustration while gripping his lower back with his left hand.

Phil inspected the barrel to see that Sora did make a sizeable dent in the top, but the metal bindings didn't even flex. "Hmmm..."

"What do you think, Phil?" Hercules asked as he helped steady Sora with a hand on his shoulder.

"It seems to me that he's really off-balance," Phil answered as he put the barrel upright.

"I thought it bounced the first time because I used a lighter keyblade," Sora explained sheepishly. "So I tried using my normal one but I haven't really used it since before...before..." he trailed off.

"Wait, so you tried to use it when you weren't even sure that you'd be able to use it properly? Sora, that's a little dangerous, don't you think?"

"Lay off him, big guy," Phil interjected.

"But Phil--"

"Look, that silver bat of his has ALWAYS been too heavy for him. Don't you remember? During his first fight I noticed right away how he needed two hands to hold it up and half the time swinging it around sent him airborne! The only way he could ever swing it with any momentum was to throw his whole body into it! It wasn't until after the games that he was able to throw it like a frisbee!"

Sora's cheeks grew a shade of magenta at his trusty weapon being referred to as a bat but also from being embarrassed as Phil recalled how he used to fight. He wasn't wrong, though. He didn't have any sword training to speak of except from play fighting with his friends on the beach, and those were made of wood. He mostly fought on pure instinct and truly sometimes it was hard to tell if he was swinging the keyblade or if it was taking him for a ride. But as he built up strength, he COULD stay more grounded, but kept up the leaping strikes with much more strength added to his downward thrusts instead of relying on pure momentum and gravity like before. That being said, even if he lost some strength, his usual moves should still have worked, right?

Phil continued, as if to answer Sora's unasked question, "Sora, hold your arm out straight." Sora obeyed and Phil hopped on top of the barrel to tie a strapped weight onto Sora's bicep. "Now lift your arm up and down, keeping it extended and only using your shoulder muscle." Sora obeyed. It was awkward and the ten pound weight felt heavy but it was doable. Phil then detached it and put it Sora's hand. "Now lift only extending your bicep." Again, Sora obeyed, no problem. Phil then had him hold his arm up with the weight and extend his arm backward at the elbow, essentially using his tricep to straighten his arm above him. This felt nearly IMPOSSIBLE. Sora struggled and felt his arm shake and he gripped his arm with his other hand to keep it steady so he didn't drop the weight on his own head as he finally made the extension. Phil still said nothing and then had Sora stretch his arm out again, this time telling him to lift the weight up and down using only his wrist. Sora couldn't even make his wrist go up halfway before his grip started shaking and he felt himself fuming in frustration at what should have been a simple task. Finally, Phil said that was enough and Sora let the weight fall to the ground and his arm fall limp to his side. "See, it's all about balance. Somehow the muscles here and here have gotten weaker than the rest," he pointed to Sora's triceps and wrists. "So your strong muscles are moving too hard for the others to keep up and they can't hold out when you make impact. Once they give, they send your entire swing and your whole arm out of whack," the hero trainer concluded.

Herc crossed his arms thoughtfully. "I can understand you being weaker from being bedridden for so long, but why would some of your muscles get weaker while others didn't?"

Sora's pupils dilated and his breath hitched as the scene where his injuries took place started flashing before his eyes. "I...I..."

Phil and Herc both looked at Sora's face when they heard him struggle to form words, both becoming alarmed when they saw the blood drain from Sora's face as he seemingly stared off into nothing. "Kiddo...?" Phil asked softly.

Sora couldn't hear anything. He just stood there as he recalled getting smacked to the ground and sliding across the floor as shards of crystal ripped down his back and the backs of his arms, shredding his clothes and his skin like road rash if the road were made of broken glass. "I...fell...a lot. On my back. My arms got torn up pretty bad, too..." He remembered feeling the blood drip down his arms as he stood up over and over, how it dripped down his wrists and made the grip on his keyblade slippery. "I tried so hard to block the both of them. But they kept coming...I got so tired..." Xigbar was relentless with wave after wave of laser shots while the so-called Master of Masters would spring from any blind spot he had to strike him head on. His wrists were reduced to jelly as he braced himself for impact after impact until he finally slipped up and a strike was brought down on both wrists. He felt them crack beneath his wrist guards and dropped his keyblade. He had to dodge roll away to keep his head from getting lobbed off but at some point he was pinned and chained by his wrists to the ground, pulled tight behind him. "They chained my wrists to the floor...but I think they were already broken...and then...and then..." He felt like he was holding his breath before but now he was hyperventilating as he began to recall what happened next. He was beat over and over again with their fists and kicked and yanked and pulled while he was unable to move and kept screaming for them to stop. At one point he couldn't open his eyes so he only felt pain upon more pain as they yelled and demanded answers to questions that he couldn't even hear them asking. He began trembling all over and raised both hands to clutch the sides of his head. "They just wouldn't stop...they wouldn't stop..." he tried to explain but his voice quivered so hard it almost sounded high-pitched.

"Easy, kid, easy..." Phil gave his shoulder a quick shake in an attempt to snap him out of it. "Just breathe. You're alright now."

Sora blinked and snapped back to reality, he let his hands slide down his face and felt that his cheeks were wet with hot tears. "I-I'm sorry...I just..."

Hercules quickly pulled up another barrel and had Sora sit down on it just in case. "It's okay, Sora. You're with friends." He gently ruffled his hair in a reassuring gesture but did it softly enough that it actually felt soothing to the brunette.

"I get the gist," Phil sighed and gently patted Sora on the thigh. "You got hurt in some places much more than others. They may look healed on the outside but you still have to rebuild that strength and control. But that's alright! That's alright! Trust me, kid, there are other ways you can fight without relying on your key-doohicky."

Sora struggled to smile at Phil calling his keyblade a "doohicky" but he felt encouraged nevertheless and wipes his eyes on the back of his wrist. "Really? You think I can do it?"

"Of course! AND as an added bonus, you'll be rebuilding your strength while you learn to do it. You'll be back to swinging your pole at bad guys in no time!"

. . .

In the meantime, Riku felt the same tug on his heart as he got further and further from Sora. The only difference between them was that unfortunately, he was a little more used to it. Thankfully, the heartless swarm that had impeded their journey to the keyblade master's tower earlier seemed to have dispersed so he didn't have to take the long way around like he had originally planned for. This meant he really could get back sooner than he expected, should the mission go well.

Before long, he was standing beside King Mickey at attention before Master Yen Sid. He explained there have been many sightings of mysterious figures cloaked in black across many different worlds. There wasn't much information to go along with the reports other than the fact that there were always two of them. No more, no less. Naturally, it was safe to assume that these were the two that had captured Sora and had apparently not perished after being felled with their combined keyblade after all. Thus, the wise wizard suggested that Riku and Mickey work together to investigate the worlds.

"But Master, how is this any different from what we've been trying to do before while Sora was still in a coma?" Riku asked. He's been on enough of these missions and chased enough rumors only to come up empty-handed. If he's going to keep doing this, they need more direction.

"This time," Yen Sid answered patiently, "It appears as though they're bringing forward more surges of heartless. However, there haven't been any casualties yet. It's as if their purpose is to stand ground instead of gathering hearts. You're to look into these gatherings of heartless and track their activities. It may provide a clue to discovering the duo's intentions and where they may strike next."

It still sounded like the same song and dance to Riku, but heartless staying put in one place and not attacking people was certainly unusual. "Understood."

"I've sent coordinates to your gummi phones to aide you in your quests. Keep me informed and I will update you as I hear any rumors. Due to what's potentially at stake, we need to take extreme caution, which is why I'm sending the two of you and I'll require that you report here before me at the end of every day. After what happened to Sora, we can't take any chances. I'll require you be physically here to check in before you go home."

"Yes, sir," both replied.

"Very good," Yen Sid nodded before retrieving his phone from inside the sleeve of his robes. With a few taps on the screen, he sent the relevant info to Mickey and Riku's phones which has a daily itinerary for the next two weeks! When both phones buzzed in their pockets, Riku pulled his out first and flipped his finger up the screen rapidly to get a grasp on his schedule, his eyes widening at the list. The more he scrolled, the more his heart fell as he thought about leaving Sora to train by himself for that long. But at the very least, he'd have time with him in the evenings and early mornings.

"Oh, er...Master. I have a request, if I may," Riku spoke up.

"A request, Master Riku?" the wizard eyed him warily.

"Yes, you see, it's about Sora. I um...I want to give him a gift, but I don't think it's something I can find in any of the other worlds."

The wizard's stern face broke into a small smile, "A gift for young Sora, you say? What might that be?"

Riku pulled the sheet music that Sebastian had written for him out of his inner coat pocket and stepped forward to Yen Sid's desk to unfurl it in front of him. "I want to make him a music box with this music," he explained.

"Awwww, that's a lovely idea, Riku!" Mickey gushed.

Riku turned away bashfully as he felt his cheeks glow red. "So uh...do you think it's doable?"

Yen Sid looked over the music, his small smile growing as he read over the sheet music and imagined the notes playing in his head. "I think such a special gift from the heart requires an expert craftsmen who specializes in such things." He delicately rolled the parchment back up and handed it back to Riku. "Seek out Geppetto. I'm sure he'll create a wonderful music box for Sora."

Riku tucked the sheet music carefully back into the safety of his jacket and paused at the mention of the old puppet-maker. "Geppetto...but...I don't think--"

"There's no time like the present to make amends, Master Riku. Consider this your mission for today. King Mickey will accompany you and you can investigate the rumors there at the same time. We'll just switch the itinerary around a bit," the master instructed, leaving no room for debate as he whipped his gummi phone out again and edited their schedule with a few more finger flicks. As it updated, Riku and Mickey's phones buzzed, indicating that they were all set. Once all was said and done, the master looked up at Riku to see him looking slightly guilty, "Is there something else, Master Riku?"

"It's just...I feel bad that you rearranged the schedule for my sake," the silver-haired teen explained sheepishly to which the wizard simply chuckled.

"Think nothing of it, Master Riku. You've worked hard enough to earn one selfish request. Besides, you shouldn't wait too long to commission such a thing. Music boxes take a while to make."

Oh yeah, he hadn't considered the time it would take to make such a thing. He kind of assumed Yen Sid would just magic one into being, but even the good fairies need time to make clothes for them, so maybe expecting that really was silly of him. He wasn't upset, however. It seemed only fitting that the way to give Sora a gift from his heart required him reconciling one of the regrets that plagued it. With that in mind, he thanked the wizard and the two of them said their good-byes before making their way to the recently-awakened world where Geppetto and Pinocchio have returned to.


	14. Maybe Our Love is a Dream, Maybe it's all Make-Believe

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Riku seeks out Geppetto in Prankster's Paradise while Sora continues with his first day of training. After a long day, Sora realizes he may not have a really clear grasp of time or reality for that matter.

While in the realm of sleep, Riku and Sora knew the world that Monstro, Jiminy, Geppetto, and Pinocchio originally came from as Prankster's Paradise. But now that it's been restored, Riku wasn't entirely sure that the name was very accurate anymore. Sure, the theme park and circus were still there, but there was much more now. The ocean that Monstro had come from had been restored and as they landed Riku could almost swear he heard the whale's calls somewhere in the distance. There were also expansive forests, crop fields, and a quaint little village, or at least that's how it appeared from the gummi ship. After landing a fair distance away, Riku and King Mickey made their way up a dirt road to the village to find that it was more of an actual town, and a pretty busy one at that! Looking around, Riku thought it actually looked bigger than his own hometown, or at least it seemed denser and more lively. There was a food market, many little shops full of hand-made items, more than one blacksmith, a school or church or something with a large bell that was already ringing. Riku guessed it was probably late afternoon and judging by the swarm of little boys that suddenly filled the street as they left the big building with the bell, he surmised that school must be out. He had to yank Mickey up by the back of his hood so he wouldn't get trampled by all the kids running off to do whatever it is kids do once school is out.

"Whoo! Close one! Haha!" Mickey chuckled gratefully.

"Sure are a lot of kids in this town. That would explain the amusement park, I guess," Riku mused and set the king back down once the coast was clear.

"Does anything look familiar?" Mickey asked.

"I didn't have access to this town when the world was sleeping. To be honest I wouldn't even know where to begin looking. This town seems kind of...busy?" He couldn't think of a more polite way to say cramped and crowded. Sure, Thebes was busy, but here the buildings seemed much closer together and everything seemed louder as they could hear haggling and people working or gossiping EVERYWHERE.

"Haha! You seem a little culture-shocked, Riku!"

"Hm, maybe?" Riku shrugged. "I can understand everybody wanting to have their shops close together and in an ideal location to attract customers or whatever, but why the villagers too? Is it really that much more convenient to be so close together when your town feels like a maze?" he wondered out loud while he looked in every other direction to find alley ways upon alley ways all lined with little huts or small buildings or what have you. The signs were in a language that he didn't understand, not that it mattered because it wasn't like he had an address.

"Well if you really want, we can study up on town and city infrastructure later. I'm sure Merlin can tell you all about it!" Mickey chuckled. "But first maybe we should think of where we can find Geppetto."

"I didn't actually--Never mind. Is Jiminy back home by any chance? We could call him on the gummi phone?" Riku asked as he started walking so they didn't draw too much attention to themselves by just standing around and gaping in the middle of the street.

"Actually, he did take some time off from the castle to spend time with Pinocchio. You could try the gummi phone, but I wouldn't be too surprised if he doesn't pick up. He can't exactly carry it around with him, you know," Mickey pointed out while rubbing the back of his head.

"You're right, chances could be slim, but it's worth a try." Riku started digging in his side pocket for his phone down the narrow street when a little boy with black hair, a pointed yellow hat, and red lederhosen came around the corner. Riku barely stopped in time and quickly leaned against the wall so the kid could pass. "Pardon me," he apologized as the boy skipped merrily past.

Said boy turned around and tipped his hat at Riku, "Oh no, pardon ME, mister!"

As he turned back around to continue skipping away with a couple of school books in tow held together with a leather belt, Riku tilted his head as he looked VERY familiar from the back. "Wait...Is that you, Pinocchio?"

The little boy stopped dead in his tracks and turned back to look at Riku, "Why gee, that IS my name, sir. But do I know you from somewhere, mister? Father says I shouldn't talk to strangers."

"Well I uh--"

Just then a familiar green face poked out from underneath Pinocchio's hat, "Well as I live and breathe! It's Riku and the King! Why, what brings you two over here?"

"Riku...? The same Riku that I played Hide-and-Seek with when we were inside of Monstro? Wow! You've gotten big!" he hopped up and down with delight. "I bet you can climb all kinds of trees now! And you look really strong, too! Did you come to play?"

"Simmer down, Pinoke, simmer down," the cricket nearly fell off of the small boy's head while he bounced in excitement. Once the boy settled, he breathed a sigh of relief and adjusted his top hat.

Riku couldn't help chuckling and kneeled to speak to Pinocchio and Jiminy at eye level, "I see you've changed, too. I'm so happy for you! I'd love to play sometime, but for now I'm afraid we've got important work to do. But first, we need to see Geppetto. Do you mind taking us to see your father?"

"Hm...I can take them to our house since they're not strangers, right, Jiminy?" Pinocchio checked in with his conscience.

"That's right, Pinocchio, very good!" the little cricket praised. "Go ahead and lead the way!"

As it turns out, Geppetto's little house wasn't too far from where Pinocchio went to school. It looked just as beautifully carved and painted as the house he had made for the two of them in Traverse Town. After a brief re-introduction, the kind old man graciously invited them in and poured everybody some hot cocoa while they caught up. Of course, Riku apologized right away for his past behavior but Geppetto was quick to forgive him after seeing what Riku has made of himself since his past mistakes. The fact that he was also searching for a way to help his friend also helped, as Geppetto recalled when he last did something rash in an effort to help somebody that he cared about.

While Pinocchio showed Mickey all the wonderful wooden toys that Geppetto made for him and recounted how the Blue Fairy turned him into a real boy, Riku took the opportunity to ask Geppetto about the music box. He gently took the sheet music out of his jacket pocket and handed it to Geppetto who adjusted his spectacles as he took a look at the notes. "I can already see from all of the clocks and stuff that you're very skilled and you've come highly recommended. I just...really want to make this special for Sora. This song is...well...it's very important to us and I feel like something small that he could carry around with him would be best? And of course, I'll pay you whatever you want. I know this is probably pretty strange...me asking about this after um..."

Geppetto didn't seem to be paying any mind to Riku's awkward stammering as a gleam lit up in his eyes behind his spectacles and he hurried to grab some paper and a lead pencil. He then spread the roll of paper out on the table in front of himself and Riku and quickly began sketching. "Small...yes...and a power mechanism I think..."

"Power mechanism?" Riku asked with a raised eyebrow.

"I've been tinkering with the gummi blocks that I've collected while in Traverse Town and some of them have their own power source, you see. I can use one to power the music box so that you don't have to wind it for it to play," he explained as he sketched out what appeared to be a simple black box and then sketched out more complicated drawings of gears and doo-dads that Riku didn't really understand, but Geppetto explained that this arrangement will allow the music to play whenever the box is opened.

"That sounds perfect," Riku nodded. Plus, this should keep Sora from having to wind it or worse, keep him from accidently over-winding it.

After a little bit of time discussing the materials (Geppetto had many woods for Riku to choose from), the size, how many notes the song should have, and so on, they agreed on a price and a design. Happily, Geppetto said it can be done in two weeks, maximum, maybe even sooner. Riku was so thrilled he didn't mind paying for the entire thing up front instead of bothering with a down payment. After all, the talented carpenter was doing him a huge solid. After making quick work of copying down the sheet music, Riku gingerly put the original music written by Sebastian back inside his inner left jacket pocket. Now for the other task at hand.

"Have you noticed anything suspicious lately? Maybe somebody around town that you don't recognize?" Riku asked.

Geppetto was busy arranging the sketches for Riku's commission onto his draft board and paused to think. "Well now...let's see...Come to think of it, I'm not quite sure. I've been very busy with orders these past couple of weeks. Uh, Pinocchio, have you seen anything on your way to school, per chance?"

"Well I see lots of things, papa. There's the frumpy cat, the nice baker lady who keeps giving me muffins to give you--"

"No no, silly, I mean anybody not from around here?" Geppetto asked again while Riku eyed him with a suspicious grin, especially since he was pretty flustered about the baker lady.

"Like say...anybody in a long black coat?" Mickey offered.

"Black coat...hm...sure haven't. Right, Jiminy?"

"I'm with Pinoke on this one. I haven't seen any of the usual riff-raff around here. After what those other guys did to Sora, you'd bet I would've called you straight away if I did see anything, if I don't give 'em the ol' one-two myself!" the little cricket rolled up his sleeves as his green face started getting red with anger.

"I thought we're supposed to solve problems with words, not fists?" asked the former puppet.

Riku couldn't help but smirk as Jiminy looked to Riku for help and chose not to rescue the assigned conscience. Pinocchio had him there.

"Well, yes, that is true. You should always use your words first. But sometimes, there are people who just can't be reasoned with when using words. So you can either walk away or choose to stand up for what is right. Some very bad people have hurt Sora and they're still out there somewhere. So we need to do our best and help however we can. Understand?"

"Right! I want to help too! I'll keep my eyes wide open and make sure to tell Papa or Jiminy if I see anything!"

"Thanks, Pinocchio. That'd be a big help!" Riku smiled. "Yen Sid said there have been reports of heartless, though. Have you seen any of them?"

"No heartless, either. Even Pleasure Island has been baddy-free for a while. I wonder who could've been sending the reports?" Jiminy pondered.

Riku looked to Mickey who had his arms crossed in thought. "Chip and Dale usually send out mini gummi ship probes to scan the worlds for heartless activity. It's possible that maybe they haven't actually been bothering anybody, but I've never known a heartless to bother with trying to be inconspicuous."

"With such a busy town, something suspicious would have everybody talking, I'm sure. So maybe we need to try looking around in the more isolated areas before we head back and report to Master Yen Sid," Riku suggested.

"Sounds like a plan," the king nodded.

\- . . . -

Back in Thebes, the afternoon heat was getting worse and worse. Normally Sora didn't mind this kind of weather (islander, duh) but he wasn't used to wearing so many layers of bandages underneath his usual gear. Meg took the time to make sure he drank the potions that Riku left for him and he cast cure on himself as per the regimen that he normally would have. It did feel weird not getting his bandages changed in the afternoon, but it was necessary to only let Riku do it when he got back. After all, they didn't want a repeat incident of what happened in the bathroom back at Riku's place. This meant he was stuck in sweaty bandages underneath his chest plate AND his gear. While they breaked for lunch, Hercules could already tell how miserable Sora looked and suggested he just go ahead and shed a few layers.

By this point, Sora had already set aside his hooded shirt so that he was just wearing his tank top but it did very little to help. Even after he shed his tank top, he was still clad in a metal chest plate with bandages and heavy pants on top of wrapped legs.

"You know, Sora, I've been thinking: You probably don't have to wear your normal gear for the time being. You're still working up your strength and you shouldn't be in danger here. You should wear something more comfortable to work out in," Herc suggested.

"I guess that makes sense...but I don't have much else to wear," Sora pointed out while wiping the sweat from his brow. He had a couple of things in his rucksack but he didn't want to stand out too much.

"Leave it to me! I'll bring some things by your room after lunch for you to try on."

"Oh...okay," Sora bit into a peach while he wondered what the demigod could possibly offer him. Hopefully not something like he was already wearing. He was pretty sure he wouldn't be able to pull off the leather gladiator look.

. . .

After lunch, Sora did manage to go for a quick dunk in the bath area to cool off but he was almost completely dry by the time he got back to the room that he and Riku were staying in. Sure enough, Hercules had left a whole bunch of garments on the bed for him to try, but they mostly togas and other things he's seen the other citizens of this world wear.

"Well...I already have a chest plate, so I don't really need a shirt, so maybe..." he looked at some of the toga pieces that served to only wrap around the waist and picked out a dark red one with a brass fastener. It took him a minute to figure it out but at the end of the day it was basically a linen skirt and he couldn't help but have a flashback to the weird pajamas he had discovered were see-through back at Disney Castle. So he decided to kind of cheat and dig through his ruck sack to find a pair of his red running shorts and slipped those on underneath. Cool, now he looked the part but now the shoes...He looked around and Hercules had pulled through again, leaving several pairs of sandals for Sora to try on. Many of them looked brand new and they laced up just about as high as his calf. "I feel kinda silly," he mumbled to himself. "But when in Rome...or Thebes...or whatever."

He did feel a lot lighter on the way back to the training yard and even felt good enough to walk the whole way with just a walking stick version of his keyblade instead of crutches. Maybe things are turning around faster than he thought!

...

After a few more grueling hours of calisthenics and the like, Phil finally called it a day just as the sun was beginning to set. Sora felt ready to collapse but thankfully Meg decided to supervise the training for now on so that she can keep tossing Sora health orbs and potions to keep up. But even after casting curaga a few times and chugging an elixir, Sora felt like he was on the verge of collapsing so he opted to take a quick nap before dinner after Meg assured him that it was okay and that he could help cook next time.

The walk to the bedroom felt endless but just as he was about to flop face-first into the mattress he took a quick look at himself and saw that his bandages were beginning to leak through with the black gunk exiting his system. Clearly they were nearing capacity and he didn't want it or his sweat getting all over the bed so he decided the next best thing was to flop right down on the rug and enjoy the cold, hard floor. As he settled in to take a nap by using his arms as a pillow, he noticed a familiar scent coming off of the rug that made him blush. As his eyelids began to feel heavy, he recalled the previous night and couldn't help smiling to himself as he drifted off to sleep.

When he next opened his eyes, he found himself on the beach. The sky was overcast and a strong wind was whipping at the toga around his waist. He blinked at his surroundings for a few moments as he took in the scene. Strange...this was the beach area behind Riku's house back on the islands. "I must be dreaming...but usually I'm dreaming of the other beach..." Sora wondered out loud and scratched the back of his head. "It's kind of gloomy out here."

He sighed and took a step towards the water only for his bare toes to run across something smooth and hard. He looked down and immediately recognized the pile of pretty stones he had used in his other dream to illustrate what happened while he told him what happened during the final battle. _How long ago was that?_ He kneeled to pick up one of the pretty white stones and admire it in his hands for a moment. _Funny...I was so sad and hurt but that dream ended happily. After all, Riku and I finally--Wait..._

"Finally?"

He looked up to the sky and noticed the swirling dark clouds above but he felt no urgency to take shelter as a different storm was suddenly brewing in his heart that he feared much more. "WHEN was that?" _I don't remember. I mean...I know it happened recently but..._ His eyes widened as he replayed the events from the past few days in his head. "No...no...that can't be right!"

He dropped the stone he was holding and hurried to find something to write with and quickly found a piece of driftwood. "Okay okay okay...remember...start to finish. Start to...URGH!! WHEN DID IT START!?" He clutched his head and started scribbling in the sand, growling in frustration as the increasing winds keep blowing away his progress. "HEY!" he shouted at the sky. "DO YOU MIND!?"

Thunder clapped in response and rain began to fall. "Well...joke's on you! Wet sand won't blow away, so ha!" He stuck his tongue out at the rain clouds that began to roll with thunder and continued with what he was doing.

"I used the power of waking again, found Kairi, okay...um...gosh, how long were we gone again? Doesn't matter, moving on!" He scribbled "Found Kairi" in the sand and drew an arrow down to another line where he wrote a string of curse words in the sand, "Then THEY showed up," he grumbled, "Then Riku...Riku took me home. Okay, then I was asleep. Okay...how long was that?"

His wet hair was beginning to stick to his face and he shoved it back in frustration as he tried to remember. "It felt like...months. But Riku said it was only one? Or was it two? Maybe one and a half? How many dreams did I have? URGH! It doesn't matter, time doesn't flow the same!" He was pressing into the sand so hard with the stick he almost broke it as he tried to think. "Wait...how many times did I see Riku? That should be a better way to count!"

He started etching into the wet sand all the dreams he remembered interacting with Riku and started counting them up. Every hatch mark was a memory of a dream that kept him sane and happy when his other dream eaters couldn't. He remembered a lot of sitting on the beach...but there were others too. He just didn't remember them. The layers of sleep he must've been under...maybe the beach was him close to waking up and the other stuff was another layer further beneath that. If he tried really hard, he could remember dreams just as colorful as the party his dream eaters threw for him right before he woke up.

"Right so...there was the dream where the three of us were pirates and the dream where we actually left on the raft...and then can't forget the one where we were all giants...And...and...Riku and I staring at the sunset, getting ice cream after school, climbing trees...adopting a puppy..." he trailed off as the briefest glimpses of these dreams flashed through his memory and he struggled to grasp them like smoke through his hands while he made a hash mark for each one. So many dreams of Riku, spending time with Riku, how long did it go on before he actually called him out as a dream eater?

When he looked down to count, he counted 84 hash marks. "Wait...that can't be right. If there are 30 days in a month and even if he maybe took a nap...MAXIMUM that's 60! The other 24 weren't him...and even then, him actually diving through my dreams 60 times sounds ridiculous. So...so..."

Thunder rumbled angrily through the sky and Sora looked up just in time to see lightning flash across the horizon just as realization dawned on him and what he had just done to Riku the other night. "I yelled at him for something I imagined...I guilted him into...but we...has it really only been five days?"

Thunder and lightning clapped against the sky again and the tide rose to wash away the mess he had scribbled all over the beach. "AAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!!" he clutched both sides of his head and fell to his knees while he cried, his chest heaving with guilt. "I was so mean to him and he didn't say anything! What could he have said? I accused him of neglecting me when he's done everything for me! He didn't deserve that! How could I have...what's wrong with me??"


	15. When I fall, Will You Catch Me?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sora apologizes to Riku for possibly pushing things too quickly as he realizes that his dreams have really distorted his sense of reality, especially as far as time is concerned. Another day of training goes by for Sora and Riku has a brief mission in Twilight Town.
> 
> I cry myself asleep again tonight  
cause I can not hold you tight  
I wish I could see you again tomorrow  
To take all this sorrow  
Sorrow. I'm hollow.  
When I touch you, Can you feel it?  
When I need you, Can you give it?  
When I look in your eyes, Can you see me?  
When I fall, Will you catch me? Catch me. Catch me! 
> 
> Misery is what I feel, When you're not around, So I can heal.  
Misery is what I feel, Is what I feel, Is what I feel
> 
> These tears on my face, Are for you.  
I wish that I could hold you, touch you, feel you  
My heart is bleeding, can't you see?  
I wish you could hold me, touch me, feel me  
When I touch you. Can you feel it?  
When I need you, Can you give it?  
When I look in your eyes, Can you see me?  
When I fall, Will you catch me ?  
Catch me  
Catch me 
> 
> "Misery" -The Mofatts

_Sora..._

_Sora?? Wake up!_

Sora felt a hand on his shoulder shake him out of his sleep and found himself drenched in a cold sweat and Riku staring down at him with a worried look on his face. He was panting hard and his ribs hurt slightly from pressing against his chest plate. "R...Riku? I didn't know you were back yet?"

Riku helped him sit up and pressed a cloth to the brunette's sopping forehead. "I just got here. But never mind that. Are you alright? I came in here and you were writhing and screaming on the floor."

"I just..." Sora bit his lip but he couldn't stop twin tears from rolling down his face which further alarmed the elder teen. "Riku, I'm so sorry."

"Don't apologize for having a nightmare, dummy," Riku soothed as he continued to mop up Sora's face and gently blotted at his tears.

Sora stopped his hand and nuzzled his cheek against the back of Riku's hand, "No, I mean...for yesterday. I feel like I pushed you into rushing things. I didn't realize...I mean...I guess I'm just now noticing how fast I may have been pushing everything. I mistook all the dreams I've had for reality and I forgot we've only been official for a few days?"

"I think you're overthinking it," Riku assured him and gave him a chaste kiss on the lips before pressing their foreheads together. "But I'll accept your apology. I appreciate you thinking about me. How about for now on we'll promise each other to put the brakes on and remind each other where we actually stand before going any further. Would that help?"

Sora sniffled and giggled wetly as more tears fell down his face while they rested their heads against each other. "Yes. Yes, of course. I'd like that."

"Alright. No more tears for today, I hope?" Riku asked as he lifted his head to press another kiss to Sora's temple.

Sora wiped his remaining tears away and leaned his head on Riku's shoulder as they settled together on the carpet. "I'm good, I think. Just really tired. Also my brain feels like it's melting now that I've realized how much time I've actually lost and how many dreams I've had of us together. I seriously just remembered I dreamed about us going to school and living out our lives on the islands so it FELT like we've been an item for months instead of just days. I kinda spiraled and there was a storm and--"

Riku gave him a little shake to snap Sora out of it, "Well everything's okay now, right?"

Sora nodded and gave a genuine smile. Riku is the best. "Wellllllll I am very sore too."

"Well anybody would be after sleeping the way you were. I see you're also leaking through your bandages. So how about we get you cleaned up. You must've worked really hard today."

"Oh yeah," Sora chuckled and straightened up while Riku got busy undoing his bandages.

"I like the outfit, by the way," Riku snickered.

"Oh shush!"

. . .

After both get cleaned up and get Sora a fresh set of bandages and check on his progress, they headed down to dinner. They dressed down a bit to only their pants and enjoyed the warm evening in the garden with Phil and Meg in the courtyard where they had dinner out on a blanket and cushions like they were having a picnic. Phil said he had other business to attend to, so he took his dinner to his room to eat on his own.

"Sora worked really hard today. Even Phil was impressed," Hercules told Riku.

"I fell pretty hard though," Sora admitted, though he blushed at the praise all the same.

"Hey, what matters is that you got back up. Part of being a true hero is never giving up, even when the odds are stacked against you."

"That's right," Riku agreed. "And you already have that quality down pat, Sora."

"You guuuuys..." Sora grinned. "So how was your mission today, Riku?"

"Thankfully, uneventful. I'm afraid I'll be having daily missions for a while, but at least Yen Sid made a schedule for me to follow so I can go straight to the worlds, see him, and then come straight back. Mickey will be with me too. But anyway, I saw a few old friends and they send their best wishes, Sora."

"Oh, that's great!"

"Sounds really busy. But you can count on us to keep an eye on Sora. We'll have him in tip-top shape in no time."

"Will you still be able to make our double-date by the end of the week?" Meg asked.

"Wouldn't miss it," Riku smiled and then turned to Sora who caught his gaze and smiled softly back.

"That's great! It'll give us a chance to kick back. In fact, I think we should cancel training that day and take Sora shopping. What do you think, Meg?"

"I think that'd be a great idea!" Meg's face lit up.

"Wait, shopping? Here?" Sora blinked.

"That sounds like fun. You should go, Sora," Riku nudged. "We have the budget. That'll be fun."

"Of course, we'll get something for you too, Riku. I think I know just the outfit. You both will look dashing!"

"Oh, for me too?" It was Riku's turn to blink and Sora gave him the biggest grin. "Sure, that'd be great."

"Then it's settled," she grinned and raised her goblet in a little toast and the rest followed suit.

After dinner, the four of them chatted for a bit before deciding to call it an early night. Riku had to provide a shoulder for Sora to lean on but ended up having to carry him the rest of the way to the room as exhaustion finally got the best of him just as they were halfway there. The brunette didn't even realize Riku had prepared him for bed until he felt the other pull the sheets over them and pull him close. Sora could only sigh contently and bury himself further into his strong arms. "Thank you for carrying me."

"Enjoy it while it lasts," Riku joked in a low voice as he fondly nuzzles Sora's fluffy hair. "I'll be beating you in races again in no time."

Sora yawned. "But I thought I won the last race..." he quipped sleepily.

"That doesn't count," Riku yawned.

Sora drifted off but not before muttering, "Yes it does..."

...

Starting the next morning, it was the new business as usual. Riku would kiss Sora good-bye after making sure he was all set and hurry off to his mission while Sora dressed up in his new workout gear and joined Hercules on the training field with Phil. As it turned out, Phil had made Sora a set of his own boxing gloves to teach him the art of fisticuffs. He soon learned that footwork was very important and it wasn't just all about how hard you could throw your fists but how well you can maneuver your body and use your own weight to put force into your swing. For the time being, however, that's all they worked on was building rhythm and working on stance as he gently bopped a target without actually putting too much force into it. After all, he had to work up his stamina and strength first, and it was certainly doing that. After which, it was back to a short sprint, some walking, and work on the balance beam...right before he promptly lost feeling in his left leg and fell right off of it and landed in the dirt.

"Ouch..." Sora groaned as he landed on his back. Meg was quick to hurry in with a potion and some health orbs to get him back on his feet and he quickly summoned his keyblade crutch to stand up. "Thanks, Meg. I don't know what happened!"

"You were doing really well! I'm sorry, Sora, I should've been here to catch you!" Hercules fretted as he hurried over. "Are you alright?"

"I think so, I just can't feel my leg!" Sora explained.

Phil hurried over and poked Sora's calf and hamstring a few times. "Might be a cramp. Take some time to cool off, kid. We can pick it up tomorrow. You did good today."

"Are you sure, Phil?" Sora asked.

"Are you questioning your coach? I got two words for ya. Hit the bath!"

"Yes, sir!" Sora summoned the other crutch and sheepishly made his way to the bathing area where he found that when feeling did return to his leg it wasn't much better off. He felt pins and needles times twenty. As he brooded in the bath with his knees pulled to his chest he couldn't help plucking at the fibers of the gauze wrapped around his wrist. "Everything hurts...but I didn't think it could get any worse." He groaned in pain as more aches began radiating from his back. "I need to be more careful."

Unlike yesterday, he managed to help out with making dinner. It was a little harder to manage without gas or electric appliances, but Sora showed them how to make a fruit pie with the skills that little chef taught him back at The Bistro in Twilight Town. For dinner, they made a simple dish out of veal and greens with fresh bread on the side. While everything was getting cooked, Sora found himself falling asleep in the corner on a cushion while Meg kept an eye out to make sure nothing burned.

"Sora, you lazy bum!"

_Kairi...?_

He opened his eyes to find himself somewhere dark and cold and surrounded by snow. A whirlwind whipped around him and he immediately wrapped his arms around himself. He looked down to see he was back in his normal clothes. "Oh great, I'm dreaming again."

An image of Kairi appeared before him. "I thought I'd find you snoozing down here."

"Hm, maybe I should give you a call later," Sora smiled to himself, thinking he had this dream figured out. But why did this dream make him feel so cold and sad? The image of Kairi disappeared and was replaced with a man in a cloak, his face completely hidden by the hood and Sora summoned his keyblade immediately. "What do YOU want?" The brunette already had a good feeling he knew who this was supposed to be. If it were Xigbar, that jerk wouldn't have bothered hiding his face.

"Getting a little snippy, aren't we? I just want to be friends!"

Sora huffed and switched the keychain on his blade to ultima to quickly summon it. If this is a dream, there's no reason for him to hold back.

"Alright, alright, you want to play, I get it. But I'm not interested in fighting you. I was just wondering if you'd be a pal and tell me where you are so we can meet up again."

"And why should I ever tell you?" Sora spat viciously.

"Simple, because if you don't..." the man bent his stance as if to leer down at him, "I'm afraid we're just going to keep bothering the other worlds until we DO find you."

"I have a better idea. How about you get a life and leave me and my friends alone?" Sora growled and pointed his keyblade at the dream intruder. "Why am I even talking to you? You're not even really here!"

The cloaked man gasped, "WHAT? You don't think I'm real? That really hurts my feelings."

"Give me a break," Sora rolled his eyes, clearly not amused. "I've had my dreams invaded before. I already know what it feels like."

"Oh really? Tell me, did it feel like this?" the man raised his hand menacingly only to snap his fingers.

"AAAAAAAAGGGHHHH!!!!" Sora dropped his keyblade and fell face-first into the snow as his whole body erupted in pure agony. Just as his vision went black and he felt the icy embrace of snow, he snapped awake in the kitchen with Meg trying to shake him awake by his shoulder.

"Sora! Are you okay? You just started screaming!"

"Meg!" Sora gasped and found yet again he was panting and his forehead was damp with cold sweat. "I'm fine, it was just a nightmare. I'm sorry. Did I scare you?" he asked sheepishly as he tried to calm his racing heart down.

"I mean yes, you startled me, but I was more worried that you were hurt. Are you feeling alright?" she knelt beside him and offered him a potion since that seems to usually help.

Sora took the offered potion gratefully and chugged it down. He immediately felt some relief from his pain and thanked her. "I guess my dreams were telling me not to sleep in this position again," he tried to laugh it off and it seemed to clear the worry from Meg's eyes as she smiled and helped him to his feet.

"I'll finish up in here, kiddo. How about you get the table set so Riku will have a place to sit when he gets here?" Meg offered.

"Sure. Thanks, Meg." Sora grabbed the basket with the dinnerware and looped it over his shoulder before summoning both crutches and making his way to the dinner table.

...

Riku had a pretty tough day as well. This time Yen Sid had reports of activity in Twilight Town and he and Mickey had to do a lot of fighting in the sewers as they tried to keep heartless from invading the town. Eventually they pushed back the darkness enough that the little fiends had retreated back to the old mansion. After that, they had no choice but to erect a magical barrier between the gates and the woods so that they wouldn't be able to reach the town, at least not for a while. Luckily Merlin was there to help them make it pretty durable for the time being. "Good thing I was here having tea!" the old wizard chortled.

Eventually they rendezvoused with Axel and Isa who had been taking charge in making sure the townsfolk were safe during the entire event. Roxas and the others were at school a fair distance away from the commotion. Axel, of course, had plenty to say about the situation, but nothing very helpful. "Master Yen Sid asked us to look into a surge of heartless, but we hadn't seen anything suspicious until today. We never really see them outside of the sewers. But today for some reason there were almost enough to make a demon tide! I wish we could give you more information, but we have no idea why there were so many or what provoked them."

Before Riku could ask more questions, he felt a pang in his heart and clenched his left fist, which Mickey seemed to notice right away. "Riku?"

The silver-haired teen seemed to brush off the question as he turned his attention back to Axel and Isa. "So the others are still at school? Have they seen anything?"

Isa spoke up this time, "The school is much further out in the quieter parts of the town. If there was such a commotion, we'd hear about it."

"Yeah, but Roxas has been acting a little funny lately. In fact, he seemed a little cranky," Axel pondered out loud.

"They're teenagers. It's their job to be cranky," Isa pointed out.

"They?" Mickey inquired.

"Xion and Naminé seemed to have a lot on their minds as well," Isa shrugged. "I've known neither of them to be very talkative, so I didn't pry."

"Maybe not very talkative around you," Axel chuckled, earning a glare from the blue-haired man but the redhead just laughed it off and gave him a playful jab in the shoulder. "Anyway, like Isa said, it's probably nothing. If they knew about anything going on with the heartless they'd let us know too, I'm sure."

"Well, we'll leave this town under your watch for the time being. Please call if you hear any other news or see anything suspicious," said Mickey. "Any detail no matter how small could be vital."

"You got it, your Majesty. Well, we won't keep you. Riku looks like he's already itching to go. Don't worry about us; we'll keep you posted," Axel assured confidently with a thumb pointed at his chest.

"Sorry to be in a rush, something just doesn't feel right," Riku explained.

"Hey, you don't have to explain yourself to us. Go ahead and get going. We have your number," Axel grinned and waved them off.

After two said their good-byes and went back to the Mysterious Tower to give their report to Master Yen Sid, Riku hurried back to Olympus, even using a warp tunnel this time. As his stomach lurched, he realized he probably could've called Sora if he was this worried, but for some reason he just really had to see for himself. When he arrived, Hercules said that they were waiting on him before starting dinner and Sora was already there grinning proudly. He soon found out why as dinner this evening definitely looked much different from the normal cuisine he's come to expect. Everything smelled fantastic and even the fruit pie, though slightly burnt, tasted amazing. Despite all the praise towards the meal, however, Sora hadn't spoken very much which raised red flags for Riku throughout dinner, especially when he turned down second helpings.

Even when they helped clean up after dinner and said their good nights, Sora was still pretty silent up until he started wincing very audibly while Riku peeled his bandages off. Like before, the bandages were almost completely soaked through which before usually meant that Sora was on the mend. They both cast cure spells on Sora and found that his ankles were starting to look less bruised and the brunette felt like he could finally have full motion of his ankles again for the first time in ages. But even after getting rebandaged and stuff, Sora was still pretty quiet, so when he finally did speak, it almost startled Riku.

"We need to call Kairi! We haven't given her any updates!"

"Speak for yourself. I've been texting her your progress every day. Where did this come from all of a sudden?"

"Oh, it's nothing. I just had a dream while I napped today and I thought I should call her. But she's probably in bed right now. Maybe I should call her in the morning," Sora yawned and crawled into bed with a little assistance from Riku.

"A dream, huh? Anything else happen?" Riku gently inquired while he pulled the sheet over them and lazily ran his fingers through the brunette's spiky locks as they settled in.

Sora's eyes were already beginning to drift closed. "I fell off the balance beam. Shook me up a bit, but I'm fine. Everything feels much better when you're here."

Riku scooched closer and lazily draped an arm around Sora's waist, "I'm sorry you fell. I'm sure that hurt."

"Riku..." Sora whimpered and scooched even closer, entangling his legs in Riku's. "Do you think it's possible that those guys can invade my dreams?"

Riku tried not to let the alarm show in his voice but that didn't stop him from raising his eyebrows, "It _shouldn't_ be possible but I have been keeping a close eye on your dreams just in case. Why do you ask?" Sora sleepily mumbled how he saw the Master of Masters while he napped in the kitchen and how concerned he was about the safety of their friends and how he actually felt physical pain when the cloaked man snapped his fingers and how he startled Meg only to joke that maybe it was because he sat for too long on the floor. "Well, even though you were fibbing, I think that's a very logical explanation for why you felt pain in your dream. I'll ask Master Yen Sid when I see him tomorrow but in the meantime, try to nap in more comfortable places."

"That'll be hard," Sora yawned against Riku's chest.

"Oh, why's that?" Riku asked, catching Sora's yawn and closing his eyes as well.

"Because the most comfortable place is here with you."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry the past couple of chapters have been really short but I've possibly caught the COVID-19 and I'm just now recovering. So I hope nobody minds these being a little short for the time being. I promise the next chapter we'll finally have our cute double date moment with Hercules and Meg. Thank you so much for your patience. <3
> 
> As always, comments are appreciated. Wash ya hands! :)


	16. I Let Out a Sigh, I Want to Cry Out Loud

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sora's condition seems to change by the hour and not always for the better. While he struggles to stay strong and complete his training without Riku by his side, Riku struggles to find motivation for his missions without Sora by his.
> 
> Also, Ancient Greek pre-date shopping and makeover montage, yay! Also the actual double date. Yes, we're finally there!
> 
> Will our boys develop a taste for fine theater? Will Sora find a corsage for Riku? Will they fight over the bill? All answers will be revealed in this exciting chapter!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There's a time when the moon  
Reveals its face through the clouds  
I let out a sigh and I want to cry out loud  
But deep in my heart, I feel love so alive  
In the depths of my soul I know we will survive  
I'm the one they would break in their greed and their pride  
But deep in my heart I feel love so alive  
In the depths of my soul I know we will survive
> 
> -Cybersix theme

Sora was a little slower getting out of bed the next morning, but he was eager to get back to training. Riku had to leave extra early, before the sun even came up, so you can bet that he tried to slow him down as best as he could with clinging and kisses much to the silver-haired teen's amusement. Despite his best efforts, Riku evaded capture and managed to escape on time. It wasn't until he finally rubbed the sleep out of his eyes and found himself on the training ground with a piece of bread in his mouth that he realized Riku woke them up extra EXTRA early on purpose knowing that Sora would try to slow him down. "Clever boy..."

They did some morning drills, which Sora was still struggling with, but he really wanted to push himself a little further so he insisted on doing some wall-running.

"Kid! You can barely jog! How on earth are you going to run up the wall?" Phil shouted.

"I can do it, Phil! Just let me try!" Sora insisted as he hopped up and down a few times on the balls of his feet. "Please, coach?"

"Alright, fine, ONE RUN, and then you get your butt back down here. I got special training in mind for you today."

"Yes, sir!"

"Hey champ," he indicated to Hercules. "You're on standby."

"Right!" Hercules ran over to supervise. "You can do it, Sora. Show us what you got!"

"Piece of cake!" Sora grinned and gave himself a good running start before running straight up the coliseum wall. Once he got to the top he stopped just before going over the other side. He hopped up and down proudly with his fists in the air. "I DID IT!!"

"Nice job, kid! Now get back down!" Phil shouted.

"I'm coming! Haha!" Sora made to jump down but then he suddenly realized how high up he was and began to feel woozy. _But I'm not afraid of heights..._ "Uh..."

Phil observed Sora's nervous stance and nodded over at Hercules to get in position. "Need a hand, kid?"

"I-I'm okay. I got this," Sora said more to himself than Phil and then made a stance to begin running down but something in his gut told him to NOT run down. He just didn't have the confidence in himself to make the leap and with flowmotion you need to have that sort of faith in yourself otherwise you're just going to fall flat on your face. "Uh...actually, I could use some help," he shouted back down while sheepishly rubbing the back of his head.

"It's alright, Sora! Just jump down, I'll catch you!" Hercules shouted.

"Thanks, Herc!" Sora shouted back and then made a leap, crossing his arms over his chest and falling with his back down so that Hercules could catch him safely. "Sorry about that."

"Hey, you made it up there! You never promised you'd be able to get back down, right?" Hercules winked as he set Sora back down on his feet.

"Yeah, I guess you're right," Sora grinned but his cheeks were still scarlet from having to be rescued. "So what training are doing today, Phil?"

"We're working on your magic-casting," Phil explained as the three of them started walking back to the center of the training arena. "There'll be times where you're knocked off your feet. You need a backup plan. I know you're not a stranger to magic, but this'll be your time to practice. If you're not able to fend off your attackers with your weapon or your fists, I don't want you leaving here without a third option." He pointed to a row of practice dummies he's gotten all set up for Sora. "I want you to start castin' spells to your heart's content. Show me what you got!"

The next couple of hours were rough, but Meg had Sora's back as he practiced casting his magic to its full extent in what feels like the first time for a very VERY long time. He worked his way up slowly until he started casting Grand Magic. The ground shook so hard as he cast Thundaza he needed to summon both crutches to keep himself upright. Another toss of a potion and ether had him going again. But the more he went on, the more he found he needed to lean on his keyblade as he was casting rather than use it as an actual casting implement. Before he knew it, he was casting fireballs out of his hand while leaning on the keyblade as a crutch and it got Phil thinking.

"Kid, why don't we incorporate your magic into your punches and kicks? You're always using your body weight to improve the power of your swing, but what if you do that other thing where you use the keyblade to move yourself faster through the air and use that momentum to put power into your blows instead?"

"You mean like this?" Sora demonstrated by changing the key-crutch back into his usual keyblade and stuck it in the ground and whipped himself about while gripping the handle to swing his body around and kick at the dummy. "Like that? But with magic?"

"Exactly!" Phil seemed overjoyed. "That's what I'm talkin' about!"

"Well that's great but...that really...really hurt..." Sora grimaced and fell to his knees. The impact from that kick shook him all the way up to his spine and he reached down to clutch his foot, having completely forgotten that he wasn't wearing his normal steel-toed shoes and had just kicked the side of a wooden dummy with his sandaled toes.

"Holy Hera! Sora! Are you alright?" Meg hurried over and gave Sora another potion while checking his foot.

"I'll be okay, it was my fault, really. I forgot I switched shoes," Sora insisted as he watched the bruising disappear from his foot.

"Now I'm seeing the flaw in my brilliant plan. You're still only human. You're not like the demi-god over here. Your bones still break!"

"I appreciate that you forgot I'm human, Phil," Sora grinned cheekily though he still felt pain radiating through every fiber of his being.

"Uh, maybe it was doomed to fail from the start," Hercules suggested. "You also forgot he's still recovering. Shouldn't he AVOID throwing his body at the enemy entirely?"

"Hey, who's the coach here? Sora, you should avoid throwing your body at the enemy at all costs!"

Hercules playfully rolled his eyes and Sora could only chuckle. "Oh, of course, you're right. What was _I_ possibly thinking?"

"Well besides that, I think you did good today, kid. Head to the baths."

"Yes, sir. Do you need help with dinner, Meg?" Sora asked as he straightened up on his crutches.

"Not this time, Sora. Somebody's bringing dinner to thank Wonder Boy for helping him out the other day. So take a nap if you want," Meg insisted.

"Sounds good. I'll see you guys at dinner."

As Sora hobbled away, Hercules and Phil watched him struggle very slowly to the entrance back inside. Meg turned and saw Phil's intense stare. "What is it?"

"He's getting worse," Phil muttered worriedly.

"Worse? He climbed a wall!" Meg asked in surprise.

"Worse in different ways, Meg," Hercules answered. "He acts confident, but something's clearly on his mind and it's making him hurt himself or push himself harder than he should be."

"You sure it's not because mutton man's making him do moronic things like kick a dummy when Sora's legs barely work?" Meg asked pointedly.

Phil was so preoccupied that he didn't even react to Meg's remark. "Maybe he could really use a break, but I feel like he won't allow it. We'll hold off on the combat for a bit and focus on building his strength back up with extension exercises. I think that'll do the trick."

"I think that sounds like a good idea," the demigod agreed. "We just need to keep an eye on him. We owe that much to him."

Back inside, Sora hobbled nearly headfirst into the private bath next to the room he and Riku were staying in and submerged himself for the longest time while he SCREAMED in pain. Bubbles streamed nonstop from his mouth as he let it all out, only emerging once he needed air and he scraped his hair away from his face. He wrapped his arms around himself and curled up as tight as he could as his whole body wracked in agony. He summoned his keyblade in the small pool and muttered, "Heal!"

The green and yellow flowery spell floated above him but it did very little to help him. "HEAL!" he shouted with more oomf as soon as he recovered MP and even after casting it again, he felt only a minor amount of relief. "HEAL! HEAL! HEAL!!" he shouted in frustration until he was too tired to heal himself any further and dismissed his keyblade to allow himself to just sink into the water.

He allowed his eyes to drift closed but when he opened them he was alarmed to find the bath water stained a horrible inky black color with trails of red. He gasped loudly and made to climb out of the pool but when he placed his hands on the floor to lift himself out, he was alarmed to see the black dripping from his hands and leaving bloody handprints on the marble. "What is this?" the brunette choked out in horror. Terrified, he stumbled back and hurried to run for the steps to get out of the bath instead, the mosaic bottom feeling oily beneath his feet and the so-called water felt thick as he struggled to wade through it. When he finally emerged, he felt weak and found himself lying on the marble floor as he struggled to catch his breath. Trembling, he looked down to see he no longer had any bandages on, his skin was splotched with black, and his chest plate was completely gone. He desperately tried to wipe the hideous black substance from his skin and looked down at his chest to find it slashed open but instead of blood it was nothing but pure black, to the point where he wasn't even sure he wasn't actually looking down at his chest but rather into a void that just happened to be on his skin. "What's happening?" he whimpered.

"SORA!!!!"

_Riku? Riku...I can't see you..._

"WAKE UP!"

Sora's eyes flew open and the first thing he saw was Riku completely drenched and in the tub with him shaking him by the shoulders to waken him. "Are you alright? Please say something!"

"Riku! You're here!" Sora gasped and wrapped his arms tightly around his best friend. "I was so scared!"

Riku squeezed him back just as tightly and made to carry Sora out of the pool. "What on earth were you doing sleeping in the bath? That's dangerous!"

Sora sobbed quietly into Riku's shoulder, finally feeling some relief from the pain that he was experiencing earlier. "I'm sorry, I didn't know I fell asleep. The pool was black and there was blood and my bandages were off and--" he looked down at the pool as Riku lifted him out and blinked in surprise to see the water was perfectly fine. "Wait...that was all a dream? I really was asleep? But it felt so real!"

Riku held him that way until he carried him back to the bedroom, keeping one hand on the back of Sora's head and running his fingers through his wet hair to soothe both himself and the brunette. The silver-haired teen was breathing hard through his nose as he tried to calm his pounding heart so that he can quickly get Sora dried off and into some fresh bandages. He had just gotten back from Wonderland and was still scratching his head from all the zany things he had witnessed but was still frustrated from the lack of any real answers. He had come back just in time for dinner as usual only to find that Sora was not at the dining table with the others. Meg said the brunette probably hadn't woken up from his nap yet but when he came to check on him, he didn't find Sora in bed. He then checked the bath to find Sora slumped forward, barely an inch away from having his nose in the water and unconscious. He tried calling his name to wake him up but after no response, he jumped into the shallow bath to try and force him awake, fearing the worst. Both of them were trembling as Riku quickly wrapped Sora back up in the dark room, not even bothering to put on a light as he knew his body so well already. Sora couldn't see a thing and Riku wasn't talking, so he nearly jumped out of his skin when he heard the rattley trash can devour the discarded bandages.

Only then did Riku cast a little ball of fire to light the torch in the bedroom and let Sora change into some shorts and a t-shirt. After he changed into something cooler himself, he finally broke the silence. "I didn't think seeing you naked in a bathtub would get me so shaken up," he half-joked.

Sora chuckled nervously too, "Maybe you felt what I was feeling? Since you're my dream eater?"

"Maybe...but I was so worried, too. You wouldn't respond to anything I did," Riku explained, reaching to brush a hand against Sora's cheek. "Are you okay?"

Sora leaned into the touch and turned his head to kiss Riku's palm. "I am now. Maybe we should head down to dinner before we worry the others?"

"Yeah, but are you sure you're alright?" Riku asked softly.

"I'm okay," Sora assured him. "We can talk more about it after dinner."

After dinner, the two said their good nights and headed straight back to the bedroom. However, they completed their usual bedtime routine in silence. Now they were all dressed for bed but they were sitting silently together on the edge. They were holding hands but each of them were staring at the floor, slightly preoccupied in their own thoughts. Sora remembered how Riku trembled just as much as he did when he helped him out of the bath. At dinner both their hands were unsteady, even as they held them tightly under the low table while they ate. The brunette was thinking back to his previous question, wondering if the other really was shaken because he sensed his nightmare or if he was still coming down from the adrenaline. Regardless, he felt awful and felt he should apologize but he knew that would just upset his dear friend. His arms felt too heavy to reach up and touch him, as much as he wanted to, so he opted to just scoot closer to him and rest his head on his shoulder.  
"Riku...Why do you put up with me?"

"Because I love you, dummy," the keyblade master replied frankly.

"I know, but you've gone above and beyond. Not just with this, but everything! You've always been looking out for me. You're allowed to worry about yourself too, you know."

"I don't need to worry about myself. I'm fine; I have you...And I'll do anything to keep it that way," he added the last statement as he tilted his own head to the side to rest on top of Sora's.

"But isn't it exhausting? Surely it's affecting you in some way? I don't want you hurting yourself for my sake."

"I know you don't. But I know if the roles were reversed, you'd do the same for me. So what would you say if I asked you that same question?"

"That I love you...and I'd do anything for you. As long as you need me, I'll always be there for you."

"Exactly," Riku smiled into his spiky locks and turned his lips to kiss him on the top of the head.

"And even if you don't think you need help, I'll still be there," Sora chuckled.

"Of course," Riku also chuckled.

"Even so, do me a favor and make sure you look out for your own well-being too, okay? As much as I know we'll always look out for each other, I can't ALWAYS read your mind. And sometimes, there are things that only we can do for ourselves, right?"

"Hm..." the elder hummed in consideration. Sora made a good point and a very wise one at that. Then again, he's always been very in tune with his own heart so he would definitely know what it means to take care of one. "You are right. I promise I'll look out for myself too. After all, I need to be around to keep you out of trouble, don't I?"

"That's right!" Sora giggled but then paused. "Heeeeey! What's that supposed to mean?"

Riku playfully tackled Sora onto the bed and the two play wrestled for a short while before Sora succumbed to sweet kisses and the two made out for a little while longer before pulling the blankets over themselves and finally succumbing to sleep.

The rest of the week flew by pretty quickly for Riku, but each day he noticed Sora seemed quieter and quieter, despite being very chipper in the mornings. He had reported the strange nightmares to Yen Sid, but the wise wizard suggested they were more than likely caused by remnants of trauma rather than by other more sinsister means. He did however advise that Riku continue to keep a close eye on Sora's dreams just in case. Riku was of course doing that anyway, but at night Sora seemed to sleep rather peacefully, all things considered. It was almost as if these nightmares only happened whenever he wasn't there with Sora. The timing can't be coincidental, can it? Unfortunately there wasn't much he could do about it. He couldn't exactly tell Sora NOT to take a nap when he clearly needs his rest after working so hard. The only thing he can really do is tell Sora to not fall asleep in dangerous locations anymore.

On top of that, the young keyblade master is still investigating a new world every day with Mickey and it's given him many mixed feelings. On the one hand, it's been interesting visiting worlds he's never been to and hearing stories about Sora while he and the king conducted their investigation and interviewed the locals. On the other, it felt a little lonely to be essentially retracing Sora's footsteps WITHOUT Sora. He enjoyed the king's company, but something just didn't feel right. Plus, he had a feeling things would be moving much faster if he didn't have to introduce himself over and over whenever he went to a new world. He was sure if Sora were here to greet everybody and make the introductions the whole process would feel a lot smoother. Then again, introductions and making friends was another thing that Sora makes look easy. Despite their best efforts, however, they were still not coming up with any useful information. Just more surges of heartless numbers, but all gathered in relatively secluded areas. The inhabitants of the worlds would speak of travelers who have observed the heartless gatherings but all have thankfully managed to come away unharmed and warn the other townsfolk to stay away. While they were pleased that there have been no casualties reported, it's what they weren't seeing that was very worrying. When they investigated these reported spots themselves, they expected to see numbers similar to what occurred in Twilight Town, only to see much fewer numbers and they were all hiding very well. Either the teeny ships that Chip and Dale have sent out to scout the heartless count on the worlds were defective or they're hiding somewhere that he and Mickey simply can't reach.

After each end-of-the-day report to Yen Sid, Riku found he was looking forward to the double date more and more. Anything to break this growing monotony of confusion and frustration. Plus, he and Sora could finally have their first date. The more he thought about it, the more amusing it really was. Most first dates are usually dinner and a movie, and even now in a different world they weren't doing it much differently. After all, dinner and theater IS essentially dinner and a movie. How about that?

Sora, meanwhile, thought the days were dragging by slower and slower. Though the evenings with Riku invigorated him, the days were agonizing. Even if Phil switched up their routine every other day so that Sora can rest certain parts of his body, he felt a new kind of ache all over that only continued to get worse with each session. The last day before he and Meg were to go shopping, he actually had to resort to form changing his utility keyblade into a wheelchair to sit in while he practiced casting magic, for each cast while powerful kept knocking the wind out of his sails to the point he barely had any strength to stand otherwise. Though Meg has been wonderfully on task with giving Sora potions and ethers when he needed it, in the end they did little to actually bring some of his energy back. Without the energy to train with Phil, he had nothing left to distract him from his pain and then it began to feel much worse. Besides training, he would do his best to help in the kitchen, but that was all he was allowed to do, besides "hitting the bath", of course. After the past couple of nightmares, he really wanted to avoid taking naps, but he also didn't want to be falling asleep at the dinner table when he'd rather be using that time to hang out with Riku and the others. He tried asking the trash can to wake him up after thirty minutes in the hope that he wouldn't be able to conjure a nightmare in that amount of time, but surprise surprise, the trash can only knows how to eat trash. After that, Sora attempted to learn how to use the alarm function on his gummi phone, but not only did it go off too early, he couldn't figure out how to turn it off. So he had to bury it under the pillows for the rest of the day until he could sheepishly ask Riku to turn it off for him.

As the week dragged on, Sora too was very much looking forward to his day out with Meg and the double date that evening. But he began to wonder if he'd even have the energy for it. Sure enough, after Riku had left with the promise to be back early so they could all get ready together, Sora felt what little strength he had left leave his body. He thought if he had a good breakfast that it would be enough to perk him up. Unfortunately after he had finished eating he found he couldn't even lift his body off of the cushions. He then mournfully informed Meg about his predicament, pretty certain that he wouldn't be able to go shopping. But ever the resourceful one, Meg had the brilliant idea to have Sora ride on top of Pegasus while they did their shopping. It would have worked had it not been for the fact that Pegasus's gait shook Sora so much that every clip clop of his trot send shocks of pain up the brunette's spine and they had barely made the length of the training ground before the keyblade wielder had to call it quits.

However, Meg was still very determined! "It's too hot to be in town amongst all those sweaty people anyway," she reasoned. "I got ya covered, Sora. Just leave it to me." After sending out quick word through the grapevine that the heroes Hercules and Sora were in need of some fashionable accessories, it wasn't long before the vendors came to THEM. Soon a select few were let in by Meg and they gathered in the courtyard to lay their wares out for Meg, Hercules, and Sora to peruse. While Sora didn't know much about fashion, Grecian or otherwise, he could tell these were all very fine things laid before him and was almost certain that very little of it actually fell into his budget. To which, Hercules insisted he not worry about it and that he had him covered. Meg then informed Sora on the sly that the hero had money to burn and that he actually enjoys buying things for others because it helps out the local vendors. After hearing how happy it made Herc to support the local artisans, Sora just couldn't say no.

Together, he and Meg picked out outfits for him and Riku to wear along with a few accessories to tie it all together. Funnily enough, it was very easy for Sora to figure out what Riku would like, or what he would like to see Riku in. To be honest, it was probably a little bit of both. But when it came to himself, the brunette struggled a little bit and definitely relied on Meg's recommendations. He even tried a few different styles on with some help from Herc to show him how tie the fabric together before coming to a decision. About halfway through the different outfits that Meg wanted him to try on, he realized that he was having his own cliché pre-date makeover montage and couldn't help but laugh to himself as he changed between the last two styles. The thought actually made him really happy and he felt a little of his energy return just in time to make a final decision and then watch as Meg and Hercules picked out their own clothes. 

After the outfits were all decided on, all that was left was for the tailors to trim and hem a few key pieces of fabric accordingly. Sora was sure he gave pretty accurate dimensions for Riku but couldn't help pouting when he realized how high he had to hold his hand above his own head to depict the elder teen's height. When they were all finally done and the completed pieces were laid out on a large blanket to get a clear picture of the final product, Sora couldn't help feeling slightly giddy. Hercules chose a slightly longer than mid-length traditional white toga that tied up around one shoulder with a length of dark blue fabric that looped around the front and splayed like a cape in the back. He opted to tie it all together with the belt he always wears over his hero's garb. Meg's choice looked very similar to the style of her usual dress, but it was in a light blue shade and had gold accents holding the shoulders together instead of bronze. To go with it she selected a pair of aquamarine teardrop earrings and a flowy lavender shawl.

For himself, Meg helped Sora pick a black toga with gold designs on the border with a length of scarlet fabric draped across the front and tied up to the right shoulder with a gold broach. To go with it, Hercules surprised Sora with his own set of hero's medals. It was basically a thick braided necklace with a large true hero medal similar to the emblem on Herc's belt in the center and said medal was flanked with smaller ones the size of coins to represent every tournament he had won prior. Each one is stamped with its own design representing the tournament name and with different grades of metals. Sora worried it'd be rather heavy but the other medals besides the one in the center were stamped very thin so it wasn't so bad. The red part of the toga wrap went up pretty high near his neck, so it's going to obscure his crown necklace but the medals can rest on top and thankfully the fabric is thick enough that it won't bang against his chest plate when he walks. On that note, he hoped it would be much cooler tonight. To also go with it, he has some polished bronze gauntlets that went up to his elbow so he can hide his bandages. The sandals he now wears obscure the ones on his ankles pretty well so he wasn't so concerned that his toga only went down to a couple of inches above his knees. Plus the draping red part went past his knees on his left. But for Riku it was a slightly different story.

Sora knew right away that Riku would look great with a white base toga with a blue wrap similar to the one he picked for himself. But he went back and forth on the length that it should be. He knew the elder teen would prefer the sandals not go much higher than ankle-high for sure. He also knew Riku would prefer a little more modesty but also within the realm of practicality. So in the end he decided two or three inches below the knee like Herc's would probably be the best way to go. The broach that held the fabric together was a slightly tarnished gold so Sora also picked two tarnished gold wrist cuffs to pull it all together. It was overall a very simple look but it was so very Riku and Sora just couldn't wait to see him wear it.

The group thanked the vendors and after Hercules paid them, they were escorted out so the group could enjoy some lunch. They all praised Meg for her quick thinking as since practically single-handedly saved their future evening. Sora of course wanted to thank Hercules for his generosity so he spent a little time in the kitchen to bake them a small fruit tarte with the fruit left over from breakfast. After lunch they had a light-hearted game of pick-up sticks in the courtyard while they waited for Riku to arrive. Turns out Hercules is notoriously bad at pick-up sticks as gentle and precise movements weren't exactly his forte. That didn't stop him from trying his best though. Eventually Phil even joined them and he turned out to be even worse than the muscle-bound hero so it was really anybody's game. Riku showed up during the eighth round of pick-up sticks and he barely even got a hello in before Sora dragged him away to show him what they've picked out.

As excited as Sora was, Riku managed to rope him in for a quick healing session. If that didn't slow the brunette's roll, the bath they shared afterwards sure did. They had some time to spare before they had to get ready for their date. So while this is usually where the cliché get-ready montage usually goes, the two opted to spend a little one-on-one time with each other instead. First they washed their hair in a basin and then Riku blindfolded Sora before completely unbandaging him so they can scrub down before finally dipping into the bath that they STILL weren't sure if they were allowed to use soap in or not.

As they drifted lazily in the bath, Sora asked Riku about his mission which the elder revealed wasn't too exciting as it was mostly all about hanging out at Yen Sid's while debriefing their findings with the other keyblade wielders like Aqua, Terra, and Ventus while everybody else listened via gummi phone and chipped in their own findings. All of it added up to them not having a lot to go on. Sora listened intently and though he couldn't see Riku's face, he could hear the slight frustration in his voice and could clearly imagine the tiny frown that was undoubtedly on his lips. He held a hand out and when he felt Riku grasp it, he guided himself closer so that he could wrap his arms around the other's lithe, muscular frame.

Riku immediately relaxed in Sora's hold and returned the embrace, pulling him into his lap so he can bury his face into the other's shoulder. "I'm sorry. This is probably not the kind of light-hearted conversation you should have before a date," Riku mused.

"Better to get it all out now, right?" the brunette chuckled as he blindly traces his fingers through Riku's silver locks in a gentle massage. "I know it's frustrating and I know we want to get rid of this guy...but part of me also hopes that we simply never see him again. That's probably stupid wishful thinking, maybe even cowardly. But honestly I'm not looking forward to another big fight so soon. The way I see it, he can take his sweet time pretending to be a ghost until we're good and ready," Sora huffed.

Riku could only snort and gently poked Sora in the side, earning an EEP from the smaller teen. "I want to agree with you. But I'd prefer if we had some sign that he was actually going to be in hiding and for how long so that we don't have to waste so much time and energy chasing his little ghost trail."

"I get the feeling these two THRIVE on being annoying and pushing our buttons. They would never make it that easy," Sora huffed again, this time his fingers have snaked down to the nape of Riku's neck where they kneaded his cool, damp flesh softly.

The keyblade master let out a contented sigh as he melted beneath Sora's exploring fingers. His warm breath caused little goose pimples to erupt all over Sora's skin and caused him to lightly shiver. The small quiver wasn't lost on Riku whose lips curled into a smile against his lover's neck before he pressed them there to leave a warm but chaste kiss.

"Riku..." Sora whispered, though it sounded more akin to a whimper.

"You're shivering. Are you getting cold?" Riku smirked.

"N-no...not cold," Sora mumbled as he tried to regain his composure. "But maybe we should start getting ready?" he suggested, surprising Riku and even himself.

"Oh, yeah, I guess it is about that time," Riku stood and lifted Sora out of the pool, only setting him down to let him dry himself off before carrying him again back to the bedroom so he can get him all bandaged up. Once Sora's chest wound was once again protected by his chest plate and the two were dressed into changing robes, he could finally remove his blindfold. He was very eager to show Riku the clothes they had selected. On the bed, their two outfits were wrapped in two neat parcels each contained in their own large cotton handkerchief, blue for Riku, red for Sora. 

"That one's yours!" Sora pointed excitedly. He watched Riku carefully unwrap the parcel. He looked a little scared at first, but once he gently separated the contents, Sora could see his eyes light up in pleasant surprise, especially as he ran his fingers over the soft fabrics and turned the tarnished gold wrist bands over in his hands.

"Wow, you really picked this for me?" Riku asked while checking out the new pair of sandals at the bottom of the parcel.

"Do you like it?"

"It all looks really nice but...how do I put it on?" he asked.

"Wut?" Sora blinked.

Riku lifted the white and blue garments to reveal that they simply looked like long lengths of fabric with a bunch of tarnished gold broaches attached in random places. As he held them up, one last white piece of fabric fell out, but it was much smaller than the other two pieces. This further confused Sora. He remembered what the final product was _supposed_ to look like but he couldn't remember how the fabric was all tied together. Even though he tried on several outfits, Hercules or the vendors would tie it all up for him and it was all done so quickly that he didn't really grasp how he was supposed to do it himself. Even if he knew how to do his own, Riku's was a different style so he wouldn't be much help there, either.

"Uhh...that's a good question, give me one second," Sora rubbed the back of his head sheepishly before making his way out the door and frantically looking around for either Meg or Hercules. Thankfully, he was in luck, as the muscular hero had just came into the courtyard already dressed up in the garb he had picked for the evening. Sora waved him down and called him over, "HERC! Got a second?"

The ginger-haired man hurried over, "Hey, what's up? You guys ready yet?"

"Well...we kinda hit a snag. We don't know how to dress ourselves," Sora explained as pink began to stain his cheeks.

"Oh! Whoops, I guess that would've helped if we went over that earlier," he looked over Sora's shoulder at Riku who had awkwardly tried gathering the clothes back into their handkerchief but couldn't manage to fold them as neatly as they were before. "Tell you what, Riku will come with me and I'll send Meg to help you out." He waved Riku over and gestured for him to follow.

"Okay...uh...sure," Riku decided to comply and gathered up when he couldn't fit back into the handkerchief awkwardly in his hands to follow Hercules.

While Sora waited for Meg to arrive, he took apart his own parcel and laid the pieces out. Like Riku, he too had an extra white piece of cloth that he didn't remember picking out for either of them. As he unraveled it and held it out in front of him, it dawned on him what it was and he nearly choked on the air he was breathing. He quickly opened his robe and made quick work of wrapping the cloth around his waist and made sure it was tied securely before closing his robe up again. Figuring out the polished bronze cuffs was easy enough so he went ahead and put those on. He had just finished clamping them into place when he heard a knock at the door.

"Hey kiddo, I heard you needed a hand," Meg greeted through the door.

"Haha, yeah, you can come in," Sora replied and welcomed her with a sheepish smile as he held up the two pieces of his outfit. "I just realized I don't know how to do any of this." He then noticed Meg was already dressed up in her new clothes and had woven a crown of rosemary and white olive flowers into her hair. She also had a basket in her left hand that appeared to have more flowers in it. "Oh wow, you look really pretty, Meg!"

"Aw, why thank you, Sora," she smiled warmly and set the small woven basket down on the bed for the moment. "Don't worry, kiddo, it's not as hard as you might think. Just hold this part here and I'll show you how to wrap it around."

She made really quick work of helping the brunette get dressed. Thankfully, the entire ensemble wasn't nearly as stifling as he had feared and hid the majority of his bandages wonderfully without making him too warm. Once he donned the medals, Sora struck a pose. "How do I look?"

"Very dashing," Meg grinned. "But no true hero look would be complete without one of these." She reached into the basket she brought with her and retrieved a delicately crafted crown made of olive branches she she had woven herself. "May I?"

"Oh, sure!" Sora quickly bent his head down a little so she could place it properly upon his spiky locks. "Did you really make this for me?" he asked.

"Of course. I made something for each of us. Around here, crowns of olive branches used to be gifted to the champions of the games before medals were introduced. It may not be a very valuable prize, but it was very symbolic and even now wearing one is a privilege reserved only for the most worthy. But for you, I also got you a little something extra." She reached into her basket once more and pulled out a handful of delicate white flower buds that matched the ones in her own hair and she got to work gently placing them in Sora's hair where their tiny stems blended in with the rest of his spiked mane and stayed in place without any extra effort, as if she literally planted them in his hair. 

Once she was done, Sora turned to look into the polished shield that served as a mirror on the far wall and admired her handiwork. When he first saw the flowers he worried that it might come off as a little too...fancy...for his taste but they really did bring the entire look together and added just the right amount of that little something extra alongside the simple olive branch crown. "Oh wow! Thank you so much, Meg! I can't wait to see what Riku thinks--" he then paused and noticed a pleasant scent in the air only to realize it was coming from the older female. "You smell good! Is that coming from the flowers?"

"Actually, it's coming from the rosemary. We wear it to ward off bugs and yes, to smell very nice," she chuckled. "There are going to be a lot of people, possibly very sweaty people all packed together to watch the performance. You'll want to wear something that smells nice, trust me. And don't worry, I've made one for Riku too so he'll smell very nice for you too," she winked.

Sora grinned, "You're the best, Meg."

"I know," she chuckled. She then asked Sora to give one more turn around. "Look at you. I feel like a proud mom sending her baby boy off to his first date~," she teased playfully.

Sora laughed and gave himself one more look as well, turning his body every which way to see how he looked from different angles in the mirror. "It really does feel like that, huh? You know, asking for help to get dressed kind of worked out. Now we'll both have our own big reveal moment!"

"Ooh, yes! Shall we wait for them in the courtyard?" she asked while picking up her basket.

Though excited, the suggestion to wait in the courtyard gave Sora the biggest rush of butterflies and he very quickly went over his appearance just one more time. Now he was suddenly feeling very nervous and started over-critiquing himself. "Do you think it's too short?" he asked while looking down at his toga.

"It's fine, silly! You look very handsome. Now come on, let's get you set up in the garden so you can await your prince charming," she gently took his elbow and led him outside to wait in the gardens while she hurried to check on Hercules and Riku.

Sora couldn't help bouncing back and forth on the balls of his feet as he waited. He resisted the urge to pace in an effort to quell the tornado of butterflies in his stomach. He didn't know why he was suddenly so nervous, after all this was Riku. But this was also Riku dressed in an outfit _he_ picked for their official first date! "Now I'm wondering if I should've brought flowers or something," he joked to himself under his breath. He then began humming to himself, growing steadily impatient even though it hasn't even been three minutes yet. Finally, he heard approaching steps on the marble floors and straightened up. At the last minute, he turned around with his back towards them as they approached. He decided he wanted Riku to have the fun of a grand reveal too. Eventually he heard the three sets of footsteps behind him cease as they stopped right behind him.

Riku chuckled as they all noticed Sora turn around at the last second when they came around the corner. _So the theatrics weren't just going to be at the theater then?_ He could feel the other's excitement buzzing around through the connection between their hearts and it was starting to make his own butterflies flutter with excitement. Something about the way that Sora stood with a crown of leaves and flowers in his hair amongst a garden in a courtyard while the scent of rosemary drifted around him from the crown that Meg had gifted him just made the entire mood feel incredibly romantic. "Alright, Sora, you can turn around now," he smiled as he stood and waited for the brunette to face him.

Sora tried to keep his cool as he tried to turn around as casually as possible and not look like a total spaz. Upon turning around, their eyes immediately met and locked gazes. Each could feel the other's heart stop as twin blushes graced their cheeks while they took in the sight of each other. Riku was a vision in white, halfway cloaked in dark blue while the evening sun glinted against his gold accessories and graced his fair features. Meg had adorned him with his own rosemary crown and as promised, the lovely scent filled Sora's nose and somehow made him feel like he was seeing Riku for the first time and falling in love with him all over again.

Riku was feeling somewhat the same way as he took in the sight of Sora, a vision in black and red backlit by the sun behind him as it began to glow a golden orange while it prepared for its eventual descent. A light breeze made the pretty white buds in his hair dance and the small medals on his necklace jingle almost musically. His eyes traced the handsome pattern on border of his toga and he admired the way the fabric hugged and accentuated his taut frame only to flair out slightly at the bottom. It was then that he noticed how short the toga actually was and he found his eyes were very attracted to the amount of skin peeking out between the black fabric and the tops of his sandals whose thick leather straps were laced to be knee high. He really did look like a hero straight out of the fairy tales they used to read together when they were children, but still very much Sora through and through.

The two continued to be awestruck until they heard Hercules clear his throat awkwardly and they all broke into awkward chuckles. Sora was the first to speak, "You look great, Riku! How do you feel?"

"It's not bad, actually. I feel like this style is growing on me. I really like what you picked, too. Thanks for not making me look silly," he grinned. "But wow, Sora, you look...you look amazing. Only you could simultaneously look like you're ready to take on a dragon but also run through a field of flowers at the same time."

"I wouldn't have made you look silly...at least not on purpose. Meg helped a lot. And uh...thank you, I guess," Sora rubbed the back of his neck bashfully.

"I think we all look great," Hercules stated. "So who's ready for some theater? We should hurry and get going so we can get properly settled into our booth before the show starts."

"Yes!" Sora cheered. "To the theater!"

One quick open buggy ride later, they had arrived at the amphitheater, a structure very similar to a stadium in Sora's opinion. However the seats were all carved into the side of a cliff that wrapped around in a half-bowl shape with a flat area at the bottom for the performance. The shape of the amphitheater ensured the best possible sound ambience that the performers could possibly achieve with the volume of their voices alone. Like Meg said, there was clearly a lot of excitement and there was a large turnout for the upcoming performance. The stadium seating was very quickly filled but even then, people were more than happy to gather at the top of the cliff and stand to watch the show. As promised, Hercules and his guests were given the best seats in the house. It was a stretch of seating with a stone table slab in front of it all set up with a dining cloth and a small number of dishes prepared and waiting for them. The stone stadium seating was lined with cushions so they could enjoy the utmost comfort while they enjoyed their dinner and show.

As they settled in, Sora scooched close to Riku and took in the sight of the amphitheater with him. They awed at the carved marble pillars and how colorful the set pieces were as the performers began setting them up. The smell of lemon grass filled the air as large fires were lit in giant pots, the burning grass sending a light layer of sweet-smelling smoke over the crowd. At first Sora didn't understand the point, but he began to notice there were now considerably fewer mosquitoes and it seemed to help set up the atmosphere for the stage area as the smoke settled around the set pieces that have been covered with dark fabric, making them all look eerily like creatures hidden in a mist. The four of them had decided to get started on their meal while they waited for the show to start because the theater was already so loud with the chatter of the excited crowd echoing off the walls that they couldn't hear each other speak.

Riku was too preoccupied to pay the din of the theater any mind as he was too busy drinking in the look of excitement painted all over Sora's face as he glanced in all directions all eager with child-like anticipation. The two had their own silent language anyway as their hands touched under the table. They briefly intertwined, thumbs caressing each other, only to separate and rest on each other's thighs as they continued to eat. Sora's fingers were idly tracing the patterns woven into Riku's toga while the elder teen's fingers were gently resting on the small width of exposed skin on the brunette's warm thigh. His fingertips sneaking a soft caress of the supple skin before stilling once again. These little affectionate gestures were all they could allow for themselves at the moment since they were surrounded by a great many number of people, most of whom had their eyes on the celebrity that is Hercules.

Just as the two of them began to wonder if they'd even be able to hear the performance over all of this noise, the sound of a loud horn bellowed through the amphitheater and immediately hushed the audience. The sun was beginning to set. The torches that were lighting the entrances to the seating areas were put out so only the giant anti-bug pots were burning. Just as the stage area began to get dark, many torches that were scattered throughout the stage were lit up so all focus was directed there. Sora was instantly reminded of an actual movie theater where the room gets dark and the only light to be seen came from the movie itself.

One by one, more instruments began to play. The musicians were hidden under a cloak of shadow, but Sora could make out the sounds of harps and lutes and maybe even a pan flute or two. Riku tapped his thigh to get his attention and nodded to the other side of the stage where a small number of women dressed in long, flowy togas gathered and began singing in a choir-esque fashion, setting the mood for the stage. Then finally, the show was ready to start, as signaled by a very tall actor walking to center stage with a bright torch in his hand. Sora squinted and held back a laugh as the tall skinny man with long ginger hair was apparently supposed to be Hercules judging by a giant bright yellow lightning bolt painted on the front of his toga. Riku squeezed Sora's hand, also very amused. He could tell they were going to be in for a treat.

The teens weren't quite sure what to expect going into this. At best they assumed it'd be like watching a very primitive form of the movies they enjoyed back home, only in person. Sure enough, the implementation was simplistic, but the results were spectacular! As promised, the play was about the twelve trials Hercules overcame in an attempt to restore his godhood after it was stolen from him as an infant by Hades, the lord of the dead. There was a talented narrator with a booming voice that sucked them all in with well-written prose. The small choir shifted the tone of each scene with a unique melody. The actor playing Hercules was extremely animated with his movements and posing to make every action seem dramatic and full of conviction when he needed to be brave and then very noodly and flaily when it called for him to be comedic. Hercules did not have a smooth ride through EVERY trial, so there was a perfect mix of action, comedy, and of course, romance. Though they were all very engaged, Sora was perhaps the most enthusiastic as he was cheering along with the crowd while Fake Hercules fought off giant wooden depictions of mythical beasts from the trials. In the audience, other cast members were sneaking through the stadium and using other means to excite their senses and engross them in the scenes. For instance, when it came time for Hercules to fight off the leviathon, they dunked rags into basins of water and spun them around and around above their heads so that the audience with get splashed with droplets of water. When rocks were supposed to be thrown, they tossed handfuls of rice husks into the air so that when they landed, the audience felt like they got pelted with flying dirt from the battle. When a monster breathed fire, they took giant fans and fanned the flames from the giant pots toward the spectators so that they felt like they could feel the dragon's breath near them. It was all very simplistic, but it was all done so cleverly that the teens very quickly got used to this style of storytelling and were completely immersed and invested. So invested, in fact, that when they saw fake Meg get squashed by a giant pillar, both winced and felt misty-eyed. After that, the two of them scooted even closer together and held hands tightly as fake Hercules saves his family, sacrifices himself to save the one he loves most, and then turns down godhood just so he could be with her forever.

So invested, they were, that once the performance was over and they turned to ask what Hercules and Meg thought, they realized they actually forgot for a moment that the real thing had been sitting beside them the entire time. "Meg, were you really squashed by a pillar!?" Sora practically sobbed.

"I want to know who the scrawny kid was that helped you fight the hydra," Riku brought up, leaving Sora flabbergasted while Hercules and Meg clutched their sides as they rolled with laughter. Riku blinked in complete confusion at their collective reactions and turned back to Sora for some semblance of an explanation.

"Scrawny...kid...? That scrawny kid was me!" Sora finally explained with complete exasperation. "I mean I wasn't scrawny then, nor have I ever been. The actor was the scrawny one!"

Now it was Riku's turn to laugh, but he really did his best not to while clamping his hand over his own mouth to contain his mirth. The four of them continued to chat about the performance for a bit longer while they waited for the crowd to disperse enough for them to make their own exit. Once there was enough of a path, Hercules showed them another way out (by lifting up an entire back wall) and it ended up leading them to the sculpture garden paths. By now, it was completely dark but the moon was full and bright and the stars were shining brilliantly. From where they stood, they were on a hill overlooking the gardens and the boys were in awe of how the beautiful white marble statues seemed to glow amongst the greenery as they were illuminated by the soft light of the moon.

"I think Meg and I are going to take a walk. Do you two think you'll be alright by yourselves?" Hercules asked after exchanging a very long couple of looks with Meg.

Sora smirked knowingly, "We'll be alright. I know the shortcut to get back from here."

"Right, you two enjoy yourselves. You won't find a better spot to view the stars, that's for sure," the demigod winked before offering his arm to Meg and leading her through what appeared to be the start of a bush maze where they soon completely disappeared from sight.

Once they were gone, Riku turned his attention back to Sora. "Would you like to do a little exploring too? Maybe we can find a place to stargaze for a while?"

Sora smiled warmly, "I think that's a great idea." He peered over the gardens again to scope out the perfect spot. "How about over there? Just near that small fountain? That looks like a soft patch of grass to lay on, don't you think?"

"Hm?" Riku looked to where Sora was pointing. "That does look like a good spot, but it's a bit of a walk. Will you be okay walking down this steep hill?"

"I guess I could brace myself with my walking stick if I needed to..." the brunette trailed off, unable to hold back a frown. He grimaced at the idea of struggling with something as trivial as a slightly steeper than average hill when he used to be over to GLIDE over such things. Before even that, he could jump from structure to structure or point warp without even breaking a sweat. Now here he was on one of the most romantic nights of his life having to decide whether or not he should try using his stick or just very carefully walk down while gripping the stone wall.

Riku didn't miss the shift in Sora's body language and reached out to gently squeeze his hand. "Or I can carry you on my back," he playfully suggested.

Sora's eyes suddenly lit up and he shot Riku a mischievous grin before summoning his keyblade and form changing it into a wheel chair. "Get in," he instructed.

"What, me? Why?"

"Come on, just trust me!" Sora insisted.

Riku looked between Sora's sparkling eyes and the silver wheelchair suspiciously but decided what the hell and did as he was told. "Now what?"

Sora slinked over and oh so seductively slipped into Riku's lap. Once he was all settled, he gripped the arm rests and pulled the brake lever to unlock the wheels. "Now you hold on!! AHAHAAAAAAAA!" Sora shouted with glee as they began rolling forward and quickly sped down the hill. The giant wheels squeaked as they shredded through the dewy grass, all the while continuing to pick up speed.

Riku held onto Sora's waist for dear life as they flew down the hill. "WHOA!" he shouted as they nearly collided with a large rock but Sora shifted their weight to the side just in time to force the wheelchair to drift around the obstacle, sending them into a hard right down an actual dirt paved path. They were still going downhill and consistently picking up speed to the point that once the statues they flew by resembled nothing but blurs, Riku felt the best thing to do was close his eyes and hope that Sora doesn't kill the both of them because no matter what, there was no way they'd be able to stop this crazy ride without some sort of epic crash.

Sora didn't even realize how quiet Riku had gotten as he cackled with joy while zigging and zagging between statues and drifting on grassy knolls. He relished the feeling of the cold night air blowing through his hair as it dislodged a few olive blossoms and sent them flying through the air behind him. It sure was a bumpy ride, but he was having so much fun! Soon they had actually managed to roll really close to the spot that Sora had picked and he quickly looked for a safe spot to make a hard stop. "Prepare to launch!" was the only warning he gave Riku before pulling hard on both handle breaks, stopping the chair dead in the grass where it swerved violently until it launched the two of them from its seat to send them rolling across a large patch of grass and nearly head first into a creek bed.

The two remained flopped on the ground, panting as they recovered from the adrenaline rush. Or rather, Riku was the one trying to calm his heart rate. Sora was lying in the grass and giggling like a maniac. "Whoo! That was fun!"

"Warn me next time you decide to pull a stunt like that, will ya?"

"I said "hold on" didn't I?" Sora laughed.

"That is an insufficient warning!" Riku huffed and rolled over on the grass to crawl over to the giggling teen and single-handedly grip his cheeks to squeeze them until he stopped giggling. But all it did was make Sora giggle with his tongue forced out between squished lips which ended up making Riku laugh despite himself. "Oh you think that's funny? Well how about this!" he playfully roared before launching a tickle assault on Sora's sides.

"NOOOO! NOOO! STAAAAAAWP!!!" Sora begged, tears streaming from his eyes as he squealed with uncontrollable laughter which could be heard echoing through the otherwise tranquil garden setting. "You're gonna kill me!! CAN'T HAAAAAAAA BREAAAAAAATHE!"

"What's the magic word?" Riku asked as he kept Sora pinned across the stomach with one knee and worked his hands up to attack his armpits.

"PLEEEEEEEEEEASH!" Sora begged while he struggled to suck in breath between fits of laughter.

"What am I~? Tell me what I am!" Riku cackled while his fingers started going lower, ready to attack Sora's worst spot!

"You're a beast! A sexy beeeeeeeeast!"

"Haha, you remembered!" Riku laughed and ceased the tickle torture. But while Sora tried to catch his breath, he sneakily snaked his body over the brunette's so that he could pin both wrists gently into the grass while he leaned in for a different kind of attack.

When Sora got a moment to open his eyes, they parted to a view of Riku's handsome face amidst a background of shimmering stars, a vision that nearly left him breathless again. "Riku..." he barely had a chance to whisper the other's name before said handsome face swooped in to capture his mouth with his own. Only when he started to writhe beneath the larger male did he realize that he was being pinned by the wrists and he groaned indignantly into the kiss as if realizing he just fell for a very obvious trap.

Riku deeply and sensually kissed Sora for several long moments. He refused to let up until the other mewled beneath him to beg for air. Only then was he satisfied enough to part from the brunette's delicious mouth. But even that was torturously drawn out as he let his lips linger on Sora's slightly bruised ones. Instead of just pulling his lips away, he gently brushed them over and over Sora's with the softest and slowest of touches as their soft pants clashed against each other.

Sora's lips burned as Riku's continued lingering over his. Every little graze was sweet agony that left behind embers that continued to smolder even after his lips have moved on to kiss down his jawline. The searing kisses continued to forge a hot trail down his neck, only ceasing once Riku finally stopped to rest his head on Sora's left pectoral. Only once he felt Riku's face settle into the soft red fabric that was draped over his toga did he finally feel like he could breathe real breaths. Once more, the intoxicating scent of rosemary and the sweet scent of Riku's hair filled his nose as Riku gently shifted to drape himself halfway over Sora's body. The overwhelming feelings of endless affection he had for the man nestled on his chest coupled with the high from all the other previous sensations have sent his mind onto a whole other plane as he looked up the endless sea of stars. It felt like forever before he could breathe normally again, and even then the only comprehensible thing to leave his lips was "Riku..." as he whispered his love's name like a sacred prayer toward the glittering heavens. If he dared to come back to his senses and consider how perfect this moment is, he was sure he'd be overwhelmed to the point of tears. So for now he chose to stay succumbed to the happy numbness that has overtaken his body and let his mind just drift away in this little river of contentment that he was more than happy to let himself drown in. He had Riku. What else could he ever possibly need?

Riku had intended to playfully torture Sora as punishment for his recklessness. But Sora always has a way of making him lower his guns, even if it's all in good fun. All Sora had to do was lay there. All sprawled out in the grass beneath him with his clothes disheveled and flowers dripping from his hair was all it took for Riku to succumb. Oh but the final blow was when those beautiful lips whispered his name and he went from pinning the other down to melting on top of him instead. As he cuddled close to the precious warm body, he heard him whisper it again in a voice so soft it made his entire being ache wonderfully to the core. So moved he was forced to answer back. "Sora..." he breathed as his chest ached from how much love he felt for him. It really can hurt to love a person this much...and what a delicious pain it was. He wanted so badly to bury himself in Sora as his heart longed to be as close to his as possible. It was then he remembered Sora even said as much only a couple of days ago and expressed how badly it hurt to feel that way. The only difference is that Riku was used to this level of pining as he had felt it many times before. Now knowing that they were both feeling it together has strangely made him feel happier than he felt he had any right to be. It was then that he remembered the hard thing that he was pressing his face on might be uncomfortable for Sora if he continued to lay on him this way, so he made to move into a position more comfortable for the both of them. But as he propped himself up, he looked down to notice Sora hadn't even stirred as he stared up at the stars, his eyes glistening with unshed tears.

Riku let out a soft chuckle and glanced further down to see that Sora's loose, short toga had ridden very high on his thighs. He rested his palm on the exposed flesh and gave it a gentle squeeze. Only then did Sora glance to make eye contact with him again. For some reason the gaze caused Sora to blush and he was about to open his mouth to say something but Riku's hand had wandered higher to squeeze him again, earning a gasp from him instead. Riku quietly gulped as he felt his own breathing get heavier while he allowed his hand to indulge in the warm softness that was Sora's thigh. In fact, he noticed there was a lot of thigh to explore. He pushed his hand further and further up under Sora's toga to find that nothing else was impeding his movement. He felt Sora begin to squirm beneath his wandering hand and squeezed again as he leaned in to whisper a question into the brunette's ear, "So soft...Are you not wearing anything underneath?"

Though their faces were an inch apart, he could immediately feel the temperature rise in Sora's face as he blushed even redder than before. "I'm wearing a loin cloth..." Sora managed to answer back. Riku pulled away, slightly confused, but moreso curious. His own clothing earlier came with a cloth too and he put it on since he was certain the shape of the outfit would look strange if he wore his normal underwear. So he's not surprised to hear that Sora wore one as well. But that's not what has him puzzled. His hand traveled up even further, earning the tiniest of mewls from Sora as he felt him up. He then traced his fingertips every which way until they grazed the silky underside of Sora's scrotum, earning a gasp from the smaller teen and a smirk from Riku.

"W-what's so funny?" the brunette demanded as his face was now flushed with heat.

"I don't think you're wearing it correctly. You do know you have to wrap it underneath too, right? Otherwise you're essentially just wearing a second skirt which kind of defeats the point."

"I-I was in a hurry and I was flustered. I didn't think that hard about it!"

"Hm," Riku hummed in amusement as he continued stroking the other's sack with the tip of his index finger. "Are you thinking harder about it now?"

"R-Riku!" Sora stammered. "Th-that's so lewd. And we're in a public area," he added in a whisper.

"Lewd says the one who's gone commando in such a skimpy toga? Something I think you should definitely wear more often, by the way, but only for me...especially if you're not going to wear anything underneath," he teased while he moved two fingers to fondle and probe his stiffening length.

"I-I-I didn't mean to, I swear!" he insisted, now beginning to squirm and wriggle his hips in an attempt to dodge Riku's probing fingers.

"Do you need me to show you how to take care of it properly then?" Riku flashed another smirk just as he reached up to grip Sora's entire sex in his hand with a gentle but firm grip.

"No, I--AH!" Sora gasped as he felt the silverette's warm hand completely encase his half-flaccid length. He felt the blood immediately rush to his groin and his whole body erupted in shivers.

The adorable noise only served to further encourage Riku as he began palming Sora to tease him to full hardness. The stimulation quickly began reducing Sora into a mewling mess which then enticed the keyblade master to use his own mouth to smother his sweet cries. However, he took a moment to pause and leaned in really close to ask Sora in a silky voice, "Do you want me to keep touching you?"

"Riku..."

"Do you want me to make you feel good?" he asked before nibbling the barest tip of his earlobe.

"Riku...please..."

"Please what?"

"Please make me feel good," Sora conceded, reaching to grasp Riku's face in his hands to pull him into another deep kiss.

Riku growled happily into his mouth and began fully stroking Sora to hardness while swallowing the other's cries so as not to alert any potential passerby with their noise. Besides, he didn't want anybody else to hear these noises from Sora but him. Sora was at full attention really quickly and Riku began to wonder if he would even last very long given how desperately the teen had begun jerking his hips against Riku's hand. He attempted to calm him by pressing hips hips down with one hand and taking a moment to whisper sweet nothings into his ear. It seemed to work, but now Sora was beginning to make high-pitched sobbing noises akin to a gasp combined with a squeak which really tugged at Riku's heart strings. He gave one last attempt to slow him down by devouring his mouth one more time and go hard and deep with his tongue. He did his best to wear the other out as they dueled tongues and once Sora succumbed he probed deeper and ravaged him harder until Sora had to really concentrate to breathe through his nose and his hips stopped struggling against Riku's hand. Once he felt Sora had been tamed enough, he finally pulled away to allow the other to catch his breath, only to dive his head down underneath the young man's toga to suck on him instead.

Sora was so breathless he couldn't even make a noise as he was suddenly engulfed in the hot wet heat of Riku's mouth. It was so good and so overwhelming. As he tried to lay as still as possible, his hands couldn't help wandering into Riku's silky hair where he gripped gently while he did his best not to scream. Riku's mouth is so amazing! It was so SO good. It was TOO good. It almost didn't seem fair for it to feel this good. He hopes that he can make Riku feel this good too! But even just the mere fantasy of sucking and pleasuring Riku proved to be too much and it sent him VERY QUICKLY over the edge. "Riku, I--!" He didn't even get a chance to warn him as he suddenly exploded into the other's mouth during mid-deep throat. It startled Riku but he took his load without losing a drop, even if he struggled to swallow for an extra second or two. Finally he removed his lips with a resounding POP and straightened back up to look take in Sora's flushed afterglow face.

"That was fast~" he teased as he pulled down Sora's toga and actually tied his loin cloth for him properly.

"It felt too good, I couldn't hold back...I'm sorry. But maybe I can--FUCK!!!" Sora shot up into a sitting position like a rocket and nearly bashed skulls with Riku who only managed to lean back at the last second.

"I mean...I'm not against the idea, but I don't know if we're ready for that--"

"NO, my wrist!" Sora cried as he struggled to pry the bronze wrist band off of his right wrist. "Something's coming out of my wrist!"

"Oh shoot!" Riku scrambled to help him pry the cuff open but the hinge appeared to be stuck. "Hold on!" he growled and quickly summoned his keyblade. "Hold out your arm." Sora quickly complied and with a swift pop, a small beam shout out of Braveheart and shattered the clasp on the band which fell off with a clatter into Sora's lap as he continued to clutch his wrist.

"The bandages are keeping it in! It hurts so much!" Sora cried, gripping his forearm while he held out his wrist to Riku, begging him to quickly undo his other bindings to which the elder teen quickly whipped out his bandage scissors and made quick work of cutting them apart. Once unraveled, they both looked down at his wrist to find a crystal was indeed getting shoved out through the soft middle part of his wrist, right from inbetween his tendons. Unfortunately there wasn't much Riku could do for Sora's pain except stick a wad of Sora's red wrap into his mouth and have him bite down on it while they waited for things to take its course. Thankfully, Riku kept his satchel with him under his toga so he had the jar all ready to catch the blasted mineral as soon as it pops out. When it finally came out entirely and Riku caught it in the jar, Sora flopped back into the grass, breathing hard as he recovered from the pain. It felt like he had broken his wrist all over again but now that it was out, it actually felt like it was in way better shape than previously. He tested it and sure enough he had complete motion for the first time since he's woken up. "It...it doesn't hurt anymore, Riku!" he sobbed happily.

Riku looked up from the jar, amazed to see that this crystal was actually the biggest of the three so far. "That's great, Sora!" he put the jar away and pulled the smaller teen into a tight hug. "You did it! You're so strong, Sora, I'm so happy for you!"

Sora continued to cry happy tears as he squeezed Riku back. "I...I might be able to actually use my keyblade again. There's so much I'll be able to do now."

"Wait, what else were you struggling with besides your keyblade?"

"Oh...um..." Sora shyly waved his finger towards himself for Riku to come closer.

He leaned in close and Sora whispered a few words that caused the silverette to gasp and blush profusely. "W-what? Really?"

"Maybe I'll show you later!" he winked.

"Soraaaaaaaaaaa..." Riku groaned and stood up to scoop Sora up and throw him over shoulder like a sack of potatoes. He then proceeded to carry him like that for the duration of the walk back to the mansion while the brunette begged for forgiveness the entire way.


	17. Cold Encounters, Warm Reminders

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sora's nightmares and pain are becoming more intense. Riku encounters another world covered in darkness but the people are recovering from the despair all on their own.

The couple returned to the mansion before the others had even returned home, which was just as well because Sora was too exhausted to stay up any longer. After Riku had finished taking care of him and tucked them into bed, he tried asking Riku if he was really okay about not getting receiving any special attention in return. "Don't worry, I did enjoy myself. How about I take a rain check this time? I think we're both pretty tired," he insisted. Sora still felt a little bad, but Riku was correct. So instead they exchanged a few sweet kisses good night before falling asleep.

_It was cold again._

Sora opened his eyes to find himself in another vast expanse of snow. Flurries whipped about and his surroundings were dark and hazy. Shivering, he wrapped his arms around himself and started walking forward, looking out for any signs of life through the snowstorm. "Hello! Anybody out there?" he called out. The only reply he received was another gust of howling wind and it bit at his cheeks and ears as it rushed past his face. The cold keyblade wielder grumbled as he pushed forward. He already knew this was a dream and it sure was boring. "Why did it have to be so cold?" he complained to himself as he kicked at a snowdrift pile. The terrain hadn't changed at all even after he walked for a few more steps. In fact, nothing changed around him at all. "Is this it?" he wondered out loud.

But then he noticed something in the dark up ahead. He squinted through the darkness and flurries to see two bright yellow eyes gleaming at him from within. "Hello?" he called out. The set of eyes began to move toward him and Sora slipped into a defensive posture, just in case. Whatever was coming closer didn't appear to be charging at him or anything, but he remained cautious. Finally, what emerged from the dark chilled Sora more than the snow did. He took a couple of steps back and blinked several times against the icy breeze that had begun to pick up. Before him appeared to be his own shadow standing slightly hunched in the snow. It wore the same clothes, but it was entirely black save for blue patterns, one of which was a heart symbol flanked with blue flames. Needless to say, he was quite startled by his doppelganger's appearance, having never actually seen himself while in that form. "You're me...right?" he asked. The dark twin said nothing, its glowing eyes unblinking as they appeared to be staring into Sora's soul.

Sora let up his stance and the two stood and seemed to study each other for a moment. "I know what you're supposed to be, I think," he told the other. If it heard him, it didn't give any indication. "Hm..." Sora pondered while he brought his hands up to his face to blow on them to get them warm again. The other continued to stand and stare while dark smoke-like tendrils waved around his form. "Why are you here?" he asked. "Or...why am I seeing you?"

Finally, the dark twin responded by moving closer towards Sora. This time Sora didn't back away as he had a feeling that the other didn't have any malicious intent. But as it reached a hand toward him, something stopped him from going forward. The dark form backed away, seemingly spooked, but then it lurched forward again, only to slam into an invisible barrier.

"Wha--What's this?" Sora gasped and reached out too. He still can't see anything, but his hands were definitely touching some kind of invisible barrier. He peered through and his breath fogged the surface like glass. On the other side, the embodiment of his rage form appeared to be getting frustrated. Its face still had the same emotionless expression, but its posture appeared to be more frantic and it lunged forward again, attacking the invisible barrier with a keyblade in one hand while jumping and slashing at the wall with his other hand. As it lunged and kicked and silently screamed, Sora could see something that looked like blood smear all over the invisible wall whenever the other's hands or feet left a strike. He felt himself getting a little frightened and took a step back from the barrier. "What does this mean? Are you trying to tell me something?" he shouted so the furious being could hear him over the loud wind. "I don't understand!" Sora called out to nothing in particular. He looked around to see if there was anything else to this cold, desolate wasteland as faint thuds from his rage form's efforts continued behind him. He still couldn't see anything else, so he turned his attention back to the wildly flailing shadow. "Stop it, you're going to hurt yourself! Are you trying to tell me you're stuck? Why do you even need to be out?" he asked, even though he was certain he wasn't going to get any sort of verbal reply. The other didn't really seem to listen, but it did stop leaping at the invisible wall with its entire body and instead stood and pounded at the barrier with its bloody fists with its mouth open in a silent scream. Sora felt a pang of sadness as he watched his twin's pitiful efforts but also a growing sense of dread. "Please...I don't understand what any of this means!" he pleaded with the dark being for any other signal or any better form of communication, but it didn't seem it could offer any. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry," he whispered as he saw his twin slide down to its knees in the snow, fists still weakly pounding.

At daybreak, Riku slipped out of bed first to get ready for the day. As he sat up and stretched his arms above him he glanced down to make sure he didn't disturb Sora who had been curled against him the entire night. The brunette appeared to still be sleeping deeply and Riku couldn't help ghosting a hand through Sora's hair affectionately. As he brushed back Sora's bangs, he realized the teen's forehead felt pretty cold and his brow was furrowed as if he was in pain. "Sora?" he whispered softly and moved his hand to feel Sora's cheek with the back of his hand. It too felt frigid. This confused Riku as he was pretty sure Sora should have been warm if nothing else since they were cuddled so close together not just a minute ago. It was then that Sora began shivering very violently from head to toe and began groping for Riku again. "I think it's time to wake up, Sora," Riku said gently as he reached to shake him awake by his shoulder. "Come on, pal, you're scaring me a little."

Sora didn't wake up the first time, nor the second time Riku shook him and he was growing increasingly worried. Finally, he decided to stop being so gentle about it and began prodding him with his index finger in various spots with increasing pressure. It only took four more prods before Sora suddenly sat straight up and startled Riku so badly he nearly fell off the bed. "Sora!" he gasped.

"Nnn!" Sora whined and rubbed at the spot in his side where Riku prodded him. "I'm so c-c-c-cold," he whimpered with chattering teeth as he wrapped his arms around himself. He still wasn't entirely awake as his vision was still drifting between the fading blackness of sleep and the tiny glints of morning rays penetrating the wooden shutters in the window.

Riku immediately pulled Sora into his lap and wrapped used his hands to rub Sora's arms up and down in an attempt to warm him up while he coccooned his legs around Sora's. "Your whole body feels like ice, Sora!" Riku hissed as he increased the friction on Sora's skin with his palms.

Sora's shivering eventually began to stop thanks to Riku's efforts and he let out a huge yawn. "W-why did you steal the blankets?" he asked as he struggled to speak around a smaller second yawn.

"You were still covered up when I woke you. Besides it was a very warm night, you shouldn't be this cold. Are you feeling okay? You're not getting sick, are you?"

"Nnn..." Sora made a noise of irritation at being asked if he's okay but he bit his tongue to keep from snapping at him. Riku should know better than anyone that he's not okay. He didn't answer Riku right away as he self-assessed his current pain levels. His daily discomfort is always significantly less when he's near Riku and since another crystal had been removed, he thought he'd be feeling better like last time. But he was disappointed to realize he didn't feel much different, besides being able to move his wrist freely again, which he demonstrated to himself silently by rotating said right wrist and flexing his fingers. "I'm not sick," he finally said and turned in Riku's lap to plant a kiss on Riku's cheek. "I'll be fine. Thanks for warming me up," he smiled fondly as he watched relief flow over Riku's face. _How is he so perfect?_ Sora gave a little huff through his nose before chuckling and resting his forehead on Riku's. "Good morning, handsome," he greeted.

"Hm...good morning," Riku hummed happily as a tiny blush rose to his cheeks. He closed his eyes contently as he held Sora in his arms and enjoyed just having him close for a few extra moments. Judging by the forehead pressed against his, Sora's temperature seemed to be normal now and he gently let out a sigh of relief. They enjoyed the last precious quiet minutes of the morning this way where the only sounds to be heard were the soft sighs of their breathing as they exchanged silent affectionate touches between them. Sora could almost feel Riku's eyelashes flutter as they stayed pressed to each other, a blissful smile lazily painted on his lips as their fingers crawled along the bed to reach out and touch each other with gentle caresses before joining. Sora ran his other hand up Riku's forearm, tracing his fingers lazily all the way up his bicep. Eventually his fingers ended up near the nape of his neck where he gently entangled them in Riku's soft silver locks as he gently massaged the area. From there his fingers massaged their way up to the base of his skull where they remained and gently kneaded at his scalp. Riku meanwhile had his free hand on Sora's hip where his fingers were tucking themselves under the fabric of his night shirt. They lingered there to gently stroke and tease the small area of exposed skin on his back before exploring upwards. If his probing fingers detected any knots, he gently kneaded them away by rubbing small circles with his fingertips.

The two melted under each other's slow and sensual touches, each earning content sighs and the softest moans of approval from one another. Just as the last traces of sleep left their bodies, the chirping of birds welcoming the new day stirred them from their shared reverie. Riku opened his eyes just as they pulled apart. Now that the room was softly lit from the morning sun, he could see the serene expression on Sora's face clearly and noticed that there were still a few white flower buds in his hair, a vision that left him absolutely breathless. "Beautiful..." he whispered. Sora's eyes fluttered open and caught Riku's admiring gaze just as he said it, causing the teen's heart to swell and his cheeks to redden bashfully. Riku chuckled and kissed each hot cheek before finally moving to get out of bed. "Seems you succeeded in distracting me this time," he tutted as he stretched his limbs out.

"Hmph," Sora smirked before following Riku's example. "What do you mean by "this time"?" he asked as he came behind Riku and snaked his arms around his waist. "Aren't you always distracted by me?" he teased as he stood on his toes so he could plant soft kisses on the back of Riku's neck. Each kiss was pressed in just the right spot to coax a shudder out of the older teen, earning a smug smirk from Sora as he felt Riku's body quake briefly in his light grasp.

Riku didn't even have to look to know that Sora was feeling very pleased with himself. He decided to take him down a peg by quickly turning around in Sora's arms to grip his chin and force it up so he could capture his mouth in a searing kiss. The smaller male was so caught off guard that he couldn't hold back the moan that quickly came as Riku's warm mouth claimed his. Sora was immediately forced into submission as Riku's skilled tongue overwhelmed his and slid right over it. From there Riku teased and tormented Sora mercilessly by slowly forcing his tongue as deep as it could go and holding it there briefly before retracting just as slowly only to then dart right back in. With each re-entry his tongue ventured deeper while keeping the torturously lazy pace. Within less than a minute Riku had Sora mewling helplessly as he liberally penetrated his throat deeply over and over without any sense of urgency. Only when he felt Sora's shaky hands clutch at his shirt did Riku release him, leaving the brunette breathless and not to mention all hot and bothered.

"Are you going to behave now?" Riku asked, gesturing towards the rug for him to sit down so he could get his bandages changed. Sora didn't have the capacity to form words as his head was still spinning, so he just quietly obeyed so Riku can finally carry out their morning routine, but this time Sora's right arm didn't need any bandages. It was a small improvement, but boy did it feel good! The weird purple lines under his skin that were there the previous night were gone now; the last of it probably got sucked up by the bandages, Sora figured. Riku could tell he was excited and again made Sora promise to not overdo it if he does manage to get his keyblade going. After assuring him that he'll be careful, he saw Riku off to his next mission before returning to his training.

Out in the training yard, Sora could see the tiny speck that was the gummi ship disappear into the sky. As soon as it was out of his sight he suddenly felt overwhelmingly sad. His hand immediately flew to his chest as his heart began to ache and he began slowly doubling over as he felt pain creep throughout his body. "Hng...ngh..." he hissed through gritted teeth as the pain levels began to increase. He was forced to summon his keyblade crutch to lean on it or he felt his legs were going to give out from beneath him. "This isn't right...I should be getting better," he wondered out loud as he tried taking a few steps to see if he could walk it off. Concentrating on putting one foot in front of the other did seem to help, but it was a little slow going. To help himself along, he turned the crutch into a walking stick to lean on versus having only one arm propped up on a crutch. The pain wasn't going away, but he was getting used to tolerating it now that it remained consistent instead of crashing down on him all at once. He knows for certain that his pain eases when he's around Riku and when he leaves it does come back, but this time felt much more significant than usual.

Eventually he reached the balance beam and he noticed Hercules and Phil didn't seem to be there yet. "I bet Phil's chewing out Herc for sleeping in after staying out so late," Sora chuckled to himself and decided to go ahead and do some stretching while he waited. While he tried to loosen up his limbs they began to burn as they refused to cooperate, causing him to hiss in discomfort. But he pushed through by trying to hum through his pain instead while he limbered up, "Hm hm hmmmmmmmmmm hm hm hm hm hehm hmm hm hmmmmmmmmmmmmm..." Eventually he was satisfied with his warm up but as he did a few more toe touches he realized there was a new pain he hadn't felt before in his lower back. Cautiously he straightened up and began prodding his own back. Something felt different. One thing he's always been sure of is that his lower back is always the thing that hurts the most whenever he pushes himself a little too hard or even makes a misstep and it's because he has the most crystals in that area according to Baymax. From that knowledge he was able to pinpoint hot spots where the crystals more than likely were on his person. But something felt different. In fact, he was sure the spots have changed. "That's weird. Does that mean they're getting pushed out?" he asked himself as pressed down at the bandaged areas to pinpoint where he was most tender. "Ah! Ngh...no...ah...sss...I feel like they're getting pushed closer together. They haven't moved very far, but I'm pretty sure I'm right. I need to remember to tell Riku and Kairi about this later." _With this and that weird dream last night, I have a feeling this isn't a good thing._

. . .

Riku and Mickey were on their way to the Land of Dragons for today's mission and Riku hadn't really made any effort to make conversation during the entire trip. He could tell the King was glancing at him and trying to read his mood but he even if he wanted to tell Mickey what was on his mind, _he_ wasn't entirely sure what he was feeling. The teen only nodded in response to show he was listening to Mickey reading off the mission info while he piloted the gummi ship. In reality, he was partially distracted from both tasks as he felt this nagging clawing sensation in his chest. It felt similar to the way he's always felt lately whenever he's had to leave Sora's side but this felt a little more prickly, like a cat pawing for attention with its sharp little nails out. Whatever it was only served to make him anxious but he had to have faith that Sora would call him if he was in trouble and just focus on what's happening now. To top it off, the mission briefing was just the same as the others as in not very helpful. High heartless readings have been reported but no actual increase in activity or signs of unusual discourse in the world. This only proved to irritate Riku further as he wasn't looking forward to scouting out more dead ends. "It's a waste of time," he muttered.

Mickey stopped and looked up, "What do you mean?"

Riku stiffened, having not realized he had said that out loud. "Sorry, it's just frustrating. I feel like we're not getting any answers. I'm beginning to wonder if there are even any answers to be had."

"You're worried about Sora, aren't you?" Mickey asked knowingly. Riku doesn't lose his cool very often and usually keeps things to himself but when it comes to Sora, he struggles to hold back or hide how he's feeling.

Riku sighed and eased his grip on the steering wheel, not realizing he had been clutching it so hard. "My heart keeps telling me I need to go back to him. But I don't know if it's for selfish reasons or if he's genuinely in trouble." He felt his face get hot as he realized what he might just have admitted and hopes Mickey doesn't notice.

"Aw, I get it. You don't know if your heart is telling you to go back because ya miss him or if it's because he needs you," Mickey smiled at him but Riku was not even more hellbent on staring straight ahead. It didn't matter, however, because Mickey could still see his cheeks turning a darker shade of pink. The king gave a quiet chuckle, but he could relate. "I can see how that might be confusing, especially now that you're now closer than ever. I know how much my heart ached when I had to be away from Minnie for so long. I wish I could say it gets easier, but heh, it doesn't. But you know what, that's okay. After all, hurting just shows how much they mean to you. Then again, you and Sora are tied close together in ways most people aren't. Having that strong of a connection can be a little overwhelming, especially when you might be receiving multiple signals at once and you just want to make sure you're doing the right thing. Not just for you, but the other as well."

"Well, there's that and the simple fact that he genuinely does seem to attract trouble," Riku finally allowed himself to laugh. "Don't get me wrong, I'm very happy that we're this close. He's hurt but in a weird way, I think this is the happiest I've ever been? Obviously neither of us are happy that he's in pain, but I think we're both happy that we're together and are now comfortable in our understanding about our feelings for each other. He told me in one of his dreams how much he struggled in the past to define what our relationship was or what it meant. To think he was feeling the same way that I was the entire time and even as close as we were back then we never realized it about each other. So now more than ever I want to listen to what my heart is trying to tell me, but it's giving me conflicting information."

"Then again, maybe it isn't. What do you think it's telling you right now?"

"Hm..." Riku looked down at the steering wheel and considered it. The clawing was still there, so it must be important. He decided he needed to take the time to concentrate on this now or it's only going to get worse and he had a feeling Mickey would agree, so he switched on the auto pilot and leaned back into seat to think about it properly. He crossed his arms over his chest and allowed his eyes to drift closed as he intently listened to his heart while Mickey patiently waited in silence. For Riku it felt like opening a floodgate as all avenues of connection that his heart had with Sora's started trickling in all at the same time and threatened to wash him away as they gathered to form a raging river of feelings. It wasn't like he was trying to ignore his feelings before, but he had to selectively pick which ones came through or he would've been a mess. His dream eater link with Sora is usually a reliable channel for him to know whether or not he was in trouble, but ever since Sora's been hurt, it's been a constant busy signal of pain with occasional spikes. For his own sanity he had to learn how to filter some of it and he's gotten pretty good at it, but if Sora ever feels the need to hold back on his own, he may not get a signal at all. On its own, his heart has consistently felt heavy when leaving him at Olympus but today there's that nagging. Now that they're more than halfway to their destination, however, the feelings seemed to have changed focus. Maybe his heart's telling him to go back to Sora, but it doesn't necessarily mean it's BECAUSE of him? Because now it almost feels like he shouldn't be away because Riku himself might be in trouble. These feelings only got louder as he opened his eyes and saw the Land of Dragons looming closer as they approached. "I think it's telling me we shouldn't go down there," he nodded towards the planet.

That certainly wasn't the kind of answer Mickey expected. "Wait, really?"

"I'm sure of it. Something's different this time. I've been feeling uneasy before every mission, but this is different...it feels almost desperate, in a way." He straightened up in his seat as the gummi ship slowed and hovered close to the world. His hand automatically reached for the lever to begin their descent but then he paused with his hand above it. "Wait, there's something else." Something was radiating from this world and it made the air feel heavy, even from where they were in the gummi ship. "Something doesn't smell right. I think you should stay in the gummi ship and I'll go down for a quick look. But I don't think we should actually carry out this mission without backup. It feels like a trap."

"You're right, I can sense it, too," Mickey agreed. "But don't you think we should still take a quick peek together?"

"I've been before, so I already know my way around. I'd prefer it if you stayed in the gummi ship so we can make a quick escape or so you can get help if the worst were to happen. Just keep your gummi phone handy. I think I know which spots I should check out to get a clear idea of what we're up against. It shouldn't take me more than an hour. If I need more time, I'll call you."

Mickey still looked uneasy, but he knew Riku was right. "Okay. But be very careful! If it really is a trap, you probably shouldn't let yourself get seen by other people this time."

"Right. Okay, see you in an hour."

From the ship, Riku warped to the top of the snowy mountain to get a bird's eye view of the surrounding villages and military camps below. It was from this spot previously that he witnessed the original Organization XIII take down one of the country's sacred dragons and turned it into a heartless and nobody. The nobody version was taken to The World That Never Was where he and Sora eventually fought it while battling Xemnas. The heartless form was used to attack the emperor's palace in the middle of the city and he had to hurry after it and warn the Emperor to evacuate the townspeople so that the area was clear by the time Sora could get there and finish it off. This was also very close to the spot where he sparred with Sora in the snow while they fought off thousands of small heartless being led by the leader of the Hun army. "Hm...that was kind of fun. We need to find a place with snow so we can play together for real next time."

As he approached the edge of the mountain to get a good look at the surrounding land, those feelings of nostalgia were immediately replaced with fear and disgust as the most awful stench of darkness filled his nose. He nearly choked because of how laden the air was with it. "Ughh...it feels like it's everywhere...and there's so much of it!" He instinctly looked around because surely that meant there were plenty of heartless nearby, but all was silent and unmoving except for the gusts of wind and flurrying of the snow that dressed the mountain's peak. He hadn't bothered to use his ability to smell darkness for quite a while because its presence was usually pretty obvious in other ways. It was yet another thing he's had to tune out lately because poor Sora REEKED of it ever since he was attacked. It wasn't like he was disgusted by Sora, after all he still smelled like himself, but now there was a lingering darkness on top of it that just served as a constant reminder to Riku that Sora was hurt and he will continue to hurt for a while. In some ways it was getting better, but it wasn't exactly fading. Besides, darkness only smells nauseating when it's being used for unsavory means. In Sora's case, the darkness was just darkness doing what darkness does so it's a neutral darkness scent. It was like a lingering foreign musk that wrapped around Sora like a blanket. But at least it didn't seem to go any higher than Sora's neck. So whenever Riku needs a clean whiff of Sora's true scent, all he has to do is bury his nose into his spikey locks and all is well again.

Here on top of the mountain, he could detect the smell of darkness wafting up from the battlefields below and even from the emperor's city beyond that. In his mind's eye, he could sense a dense cloud of darkness hovering over the two areas but from where he was standing, he could only really get a true glimpse of the battlefields. When he was last here they were littered with fallen soldiers who had lost their battle against the hun army. It seemed the devastation has been mostly cleared away, or at least it was no longer covered in bodies, and there didn't seem to be any other occupants wandering about. Truth be told, he wouldn't be surprised that darkness simply lingered there because of the previous events and given the violent nature, the volume of it would be understandable, hence the stench. As unfortunate as it was, it's a natural progression that really only needed tending to if it evolved or if somebody came along and tried to harness it for their own means. Otherwise it would eventually dissipate on its own as long as the world it occupied was still filled with light. However, he wasn't aware of such an event happening in the city itself, so he should definitely head that way next. Even if this is the natural order of things for a country recovering from war, with a new enemy in their midst, they can't risk somebody coming in here to take advantage of it for themselves.

With that in mind, they should probably ask Yen Sid to assign somebody to this place to keep an eye on it. He called Mickey the gummi phone and instructed him to use the ship's scanner to take aerial photographs of the battlefields and city to show where the clouds of darkness were hovering so they could take them to Yen Sid. "I'm going to head to emperor's palace. If there is anything going on, it should be really easy to tell from there without having to make my presence known."

"Alright, be careful. I just finished the scans and it looks like you're right about the darkness. I don't think we should make any contact with the locals unless we have Sora, Donald, or Goofy with us. If we appear untrustworthy, it may push some of them over the edge and we don't want any trouble."

"Copy that. I'll check in if I hear anything," Riku hung up and hurried to make his way down the mountain, going down the back way so he can avoid any of the main roads.

Once he arrived, the city felt quiet and there was the definitely feeling of a dark cloud hovering over the area but it didn't seem as bad here as it looked from the mountain. As for the palace, it appears that it's completely blocked off for repairs after all the damage done during the last battle. Judging by the lack of any other palace workers who weren't working on reconstruction, Riku assumed the emperor must be in a different location for the time being. Other than that, he could only glean that many were recovering from losing men in the war and that accounted for things not being as busy as he last remembered. Other than being gloomy, it appeared that everybody was trying to carry on with business as usual as best as they could and that wasn't a bad thing. It didn't seem he was going to be getting any other information today as he hasn't even spotted a heartless while he was here. So he hurried back to the pick-up point so he can return to the gummi ship.

"How was it?" Mickey asked.

"Very quiet, but there's definitely something there that we'll need to keep an eye on. The people of this world are strong and resilient. If it weren't for the fact that we have an unknown enemy out there, I honestly don't think we would have any business here. They're on the road to recovery; in time the darkness will pass on its own. But if an outside force were to come and take advantage of them, it'd be devastating to this world for certain."

"Mm. Right then. We'll report this to Master Yen Sid right away. He'll need to arrange for somebody to keep watch here. So let's get going."

. . .

Back at the training yard, Phil and Hercules have been supervising Sora's physical training. After a few rounds with the punching bags and some laps on the balance beam, he got permission to do some light practice with the keyblade. Sora was overjoyed and found he managed to sustain using his normal keyblade for much longer and he couldn't have been happier. The only current drawback is even though he has motion, his follow-through is still a little weak. But now he can hold it much better for Magic casting. In fact, he feels like he can channel it with much more control. So after a few rounds with the dummies, they ended today's training with some magic practice and it went very well. But by time they finished, the new kind of soreness in his lower back had become unbearable, even after Meg gave him potions. So he opted for a long nap before dinner.

Sora gave himself a quick sponge bath to wipe the sweat and dirt off of himself and just threw on a t-shirt before crawling into the bed. Sheets be damned, he was tired and everything hurt. He tried sleeping on his stomach but the chest plate was unyielding and beginning to annoy him. He began to reach for the straps but his promise to Riku rang in his ears so he lowered his hand. "Nn...it hurts...I'm so tired..." he whimpered and rolled onto his back. As he sunk into the soft bed, he stared at the ceiling while pain continued to pound in his muscles and kept him awake every time his eyes were about to drift closed. "Nn...I don't want to do this..." he groaned and held his right arm out to summon his keyblade which he then awkwardly pointed at himself. He shouted "SLEEP!" and a ball of light successfully hit him in the face and knocked him out with a sleep spell, the keyblade disappearing as he went unconscious and his arms falling to his sides with a soft thud.

When Riku returned and saw Sora was yet again not at the dinner table, Meg informed him that Sora seemed pretty rough today. "Would it be rude if I asked to bring dinner to him this time?" Riku asked. "If he is hurting, it's probably best not to move him."

"Of course, here I'll make you both a plate," Meg offered.

"That kid's got some guts," Phil nodded as he bit into a plum. "But he's gotta remember to not be so hard on himself."

"What do you mean?" Riku asked.

"Well, it's just like the last time he was here," Hercules added. "When he visited while Hades was attacking with the titans, he mentioned he needed to get his strength back and seemed really down about it. But he helped us take on some of the biggest threats we have here and with moves I've never seen him use."

"It's the "it" factor," Phil simply stated.

"The what?" Riku and Herc both asked.

"The IT factor," the goat man repeated. "It's the quality of a hero. Everybody has the potential to be a hero. But to be a true hero, one that never backs down and fights for what's right, is a quality that needs to be nurtured and embraced. If you believe in yourself and what you're capable of, others will see it too and they'll follow your lead. The mark of a true hero is not just one who saves the day, but one who inspires others to do the same. Sora's always had that quality. I knew it since the day I met him."

"But...I thought when he first got here you told him he didn't have what it takes?" Herc asked with a raised eyebrow.

"To see if he believed in himself to pursue it, just like you did!" Phil explained. "Come on, kid, you know about that better than anyone. Have I taught you nothing?"

"Sure, Phil," Herc grinned.

"Anyway, when Sora was here last time, it was apparent to everybody that he wasn't the same. He was clearly doubting himself and appeared weaker. His "it" factor was way off. Confidence that you know you will bounce back is one thing, but you have to know your limits and trust that others will support you when you need them. You don't HAVE to be the best if others are around to support what you lack. Otherwise you're hurting yourself in an attempt to achieve an ideal that may never happen."

"Are you saying Sora may never return to the way he was?" Riku asked.

"I'm not a doctor, so I can't say that for sure. But I've trained many heroes and I've seen this sort of thing before after they've been forced into a situation where they've had to face their own mortality. A lot of them never got over it and ran themselves into the ground. I'm not saying he was wrong in coming here. He is improving, but it's taking Herc and I all we have to keep him from going too hard."

"Sora did say something like that...about facing his mortality, I mean," Riku pondered out loud.

Instead of worrying Phil, however, his face seemed to brighten. "He has, huh? Well, self-awareness is a good trait to have. It means he can be reasoned with." He took a swig from his goblet and gave a nod to Riku, "He'll be alright for the time being. We'll keep an eye on him. You should go see him before dinner gets cold."

"Thanks, guys. I'll do that," he received the plates from Meg and thanked her, too. "Good night, everybody."

After they wished him a good night as well, he made haste to the bedroom and lit set the plates on to light the lamps in the room so he could see. "Sora?" he called towards the bed as he took his jacket off. "It's time to eat, sleepy head." He turned around to see Sora hadn't even stirred. In fact, something seemed off. He could immediately tell just by Sora's sleeping posture alone. It seemed too rigid. "Sora?" he reached over and tried to gently shake him awake but Sora just moaned in pain instead. Riku gasped as something tugged at his heart and stirred his dream eater instincts. "A nightmare...and a big one. I should probably see what it's about."

He then summoned Braveheart and pointed it at Sora to make the dive into his dreams. "I'm on my way, Sora."


	18. Ocean Dives, Moonlit Skies

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sora's struggles continue to get worse, not just physically but emotionally. Riku begins to see what Sora's nightmares are putting him through while Phil and the team see the other side of things. A decision has to be made, and soon, before Sora loses himself to despair.

When Riku next opened his eyes, he found himself under water in an ocean full of sea life. A shadow darkened his view and he looked up to see a large wooden ship gliding above him on the surface. But even as the ship left, it didn't get any brighter. In fact, the water began to feel colder and all the marine life around him appeared to have fled. "Sora!" he called out but of course his voice was muffled under water. It was then Komory Bat appeared under water next to him, flapping its pink wings about as it hovered in the water next to him. "Hey! Do you know where Sora is?"

The bat squeaked in response and used its wings to glide like a manta ray through the cold depths and Riku followed. The water only got darker and colder the deeper they went down but he could still make out that they were heading towards the wreckage of a pirate ship. "Is he down there?" They ventured inside and Komory Bat's yellow body and diamond pattern on its wings glowed dimly so Riku could see better. As they went through the wreckage, they found a porthole where a familiar pudgy blue body was stuck. "Meow-wow!" Riku called and swam over to pull the good boy free. "Are you alright? Have you seen Sora?"

The freed creature bounced happily and nudged Riku's shoulder in thanks before shrinking and flying full speed at the portal again, only to get stuck all over again. "Poor thing," Riku sighed and tugged the creature free again. "Let me take a look." He peered through the porthole to see there was a cave system behind it. "You think Sora's in there? We'll just have to blast our way through, then." He swam back a few steps and aimed his keyblade to blast the small opening apart with dark firaga and the trio were able to proceed. Poor Meow-Wow had trouble bouncing through the water, so Riku just held onto him as he propelled himself forward with his legs. In here, the caves were lit green from the bioluminescence of the algae on the walls. It was a straight-forward path and the further they went in, the more anxious Meow-Wow got in Riku's arms. Eventually they came upon a giant cavern and Riku peered inside to see a giant black tentacled creature with its many limbs stretched straight up. His eyes traced the limbs to see they were clutching at Sora who was reaching for an opening in the ceiling that appeared to be the only way out. "SORA!" Riku called out and hurried to the rescue, aiming dark firaga blasts at the faceless creature's tentacles. But for every one that he destroyed, another materialized and grabbed for Sora.

"LET HIM GO!" Riku roared and fused with Komory Bat to gain wings and propel at breakneck speed through the water, slashing back and forth at the tentacles to give Sora enough of an opening to break free.

"Riku!" Sora gasped as soon as he broke free from the tentacle on his neck, as if just now realizing he was there. "Riku, we can't beat it, come on!" he called and hurried for the opening. Riku obeyed and rushed towards Sora, grabbing him up and flying out of the opening just out of the tentacle's reach as it tried to grab at them one last time. They burst through the opening and broke the surface to find themselves on land. Riku let Sora down and the two ran a fair distance across the stone ground to get away from the hole before stopping to catch their breaths. It was only then that Riku realized that Sora was dressed as a pirate...and a very handsome one at that. "Sora...are you okay?"

Sora was bent over with his hands on his knees. "I...was...looking...for treasure," he struggled to explain while gasping for breath.

Riku couldn't help laughing, "Well, did you find any?"

"No..." he shook his head and then straightened up and smiled at the winged vision that was Riku, "Then again, maybe I did."

Meow-Wow suddenly shoots out of the tiny hole and waddles as fast as its bouncy little body can towards Sora and Riku while squealing in terror the whole way. Black tentacles follow after and rise almost three stories into the air before reaching for the pair. They deftly dodge the initial attack and begin slashing at it, but for every tentacle they sever, another comes to replace it.

"You can wake up any time, Sora!" Riku shouted from above as he flew back and forth in an attempt to cut all of them at once.

"I can't!" Sora called back as he flowmotioned along one of the tentacles toward the base and aimed blizzaga at the water in attempt to freeze the part of the creature that was still submerged. "I cast a sleep spell on myself! It hasn't worn off yet!"

"What!?" Riku questioned in disbelief as he dodged a tentacle that nearly slapped him across the face. His time was up with Komory Bat, so the two were forced to separate and he caught himself on another tentacle and followed Sora's lead, using flowmotion to keep ahead of the flailing limbs while focusing attacks at the base. "Why would you do that to yourself? That could be dangerous! Somebody could've come after you while you were knocked out!"

"Oh, so now I'm not allowed to sleep without you around either?" Sora snapped but then recoiled at his own harshness. "I was in a lot of pain, okay?" he explained with slight irritation in his voice at being lectured. "I wasn't thinking straight! I just wanted some sleep!" He called out while reaching for Riku's hand as they slid by each other.

Riku caught the extended hand and they grabbed each other's wrists to spin each other around with their keyblades extended in their free hands to send a whirlwind of slashes at their foe. "Of course...I'm sorry, I get it. But is this something you've done before?"

"No, this is the first!" Sora assured him as they separated. "I used a weak version of it. I thought I would be awake before you got back!" He explained just as he teleported to block a blow from a tentacle that nearly hit Riku across the back. 

"Does this mean your pain has gotten worse?" Riku bumped Sora's fist in thanks after he blocked for him and the two combined their firaga and dark firaga attacks in a barrage at the flailing creature.

"Yeah, in my lower back. I feel like those crystal things are moving closer together or something. It's been bothering me all day!" He joined Riku's side and they raised their hands together to perform a Reality Shift and summon their combined keyblade to deal the final blow. Stained glass appeared above their head and the golden and black keyblade sliced through the air and cleaved the creature cleanly in half before both disappeared entirely.

Having bested their foe, the scenery began to shift and fade around them. When they next opened their eyes, they were back in the bedroom together. Riku was on his knees with his body halfway draped over Sora, having forgotten to take a more comfortable stance before making the dive. He was the first to straighten up so he could get off of the brunette. Sora scrunched his face as he was made aware of his pain again and forced himself to sit up while trying to rub the sleep from his eyes with the back of his fist.

Riku reached out to touch Sora's shoulder but thought against it. "Are you okay?" he asked.

"Yeah, I think so. Thanks for helping me out," Sora yawned and stretched with his arms high above his head but stopped when he felt his back crack. "Owww!" he whimpered.

"I brought dinner. So how about we eat before we take a look at the damage?" Riku suggested. 

Sora nodded and they both sat on the rug to eat. Tonight's meal was leftover meat from yesterday that had been dried and salted with some bread and steamed green vegetables. Sora asked about Riku's mission today but he was only half-listening while he picked at his food. He was used to the food being a little on the bland side but today he just didn't have much of an appetite.

Riku noticed he wasn't really eating and stopped talking for a moment. "Not hungry?"

"Yeah...guess I'm just more tired than anything. I don't think that nap really helped."

After they've finished eating, Riku got to work on Sora and confirmed what the brunette had suspected earlier. On Sora's lower back there were purple bruise trails about an inch long. He counted seven of these in total and took a picture with the gummi phone to send to Kairi before getting Sora all wrapped up for bed. "Looks like you were right. But maybe this is a good thing? Maybe this means you'll be able to start pushing out more than just one at a time."

Sora straightened up and tugged his shirt down, feeling better now that he's all dressed down for bed. "Yeah, maybe. I guess sometimes things feel worse before they feel better, right?" he weakly smiled.

Riku reached out to put his hand over Sora's in a reassuring gesture. "Well for what it's worth, you're still much better than you were a couple of weeks ago, right? So we must be doing something right."

Sora chuckled, "Yeah, I guess so. I just wish I knew the trick to getting them out so we can just keep doing it and get it all over with at once. I know what King Triton said, but based on what we've actually accomplished, we still don't have much to go on."

Riku grinned, "Well, we know the current trend, but it could just be a coincidence. Then again, maybe it's not something we can't force...maybe it's just something that has to happen on its own."

. . .

The crystals are slowly shifting closer together by the day, resulting in increasing discomfort for Sora. While practicing fisticuffs with Phil, he found he was getting a little more sloppy with his footwork as his limbs have begun to feel stiff and a little unresponsive. It didn't take long for Phil to notice so he gets Sora back on repetitive exercises like light weight-lifting, stretches, balance exercises, and muscle extension exercises not unlike those used in yoga. Sora wasn't too thrilled as it felt like a step back but he didn't have any room to argue. The new soreness is still there and he can't seem to shake it off. If he completes the routines without complaint, Phil lets him get some light fireball throwing practice in. He was enjoying these little chances to let loose until he started getting flashes of memory from the fight that reduced him to this state. They're very brief, but they make his chest feel tight which draws his attention to his chest plate and he gets annoyed that he can't remove it to take a breather. He found he was also starting to get grumpier by the day. He tried his best to not let his frustration show, but he knew he probably wasn't doing a very good job of it as he started speaking less and less during meal times.

Eventually, the pain became so intense that Sora found he didn't really feel hungry at all and for a couple of days even opted to skip dinner so he could go straight to bed, only to be awoken by Riku to whom he would lie about eating already before they carry out the usual routine and go back to bed. He felt bad about lying but Riku was worrying over him enough as it is, no need to bother him about a skipped meal or two. Near the end of his second week of training, the keyblade wielder has slowed down significantly and even began to hallucinate blood smearing from his hands as he touched any of the exercise equipment. The first time it happened it alarmed him but nobody around him seemed to react to it and it disappeared as quickly as it appeared. He chose to press on like it's not even there, but it never ceases to fill him with dread whenever it happens which doesn't help his mood at all. On top of that, whenever he manages to nap before Riku gets back, he has short nightmares that seem to center around something happening to his chest or the need to take his chest plate off. Sometimes he wakes up on his own before Riku even gets back and he just hugs his legs to himself and wallows in misery as he tries to sort through all the confusing negative emotions that his dreams put him through. All alone he tries to cope with random bouts of sadness, guilt, self-blame, and feeling powerless without Riku. Anything positive that he might have experienced that day gets warped somehow and he begins agonizing about things out of his control. One of the biggest things was his body, and the fact his boyfriend seems to have more control over it than he does. Whether it be Riku making him feel better with his light, healing him, or controlling when Sora can see himself, it seemed the darkness was starting to get to him and he was beginning to see only the negative side to everything. He found himself crying sometimes as his heart felt like it was being smothered with sadness and negativity and instead of sleeping he would count the minutes until Riku returned and immediately all resentment and anger would melt away as soon as he found himself in Riku's arms again.

At night, Riku has kept a close eye on Sora's dreams after the incident earlier in the week. He had been disturbed to find the nightmares were increasing in number and he's been doing his best to snuff them out before the brunette would have a chance to pay them any mind. It didn't take too many before Riku discovered there was a re-occuring theme with the nightmares trying to tempt Sora to remove his chest plate and that he would get more answers if he could finally see himself. The keyblade master does his best to snuff these out before they get a chance to torment Sora because as harmless as it may seem, it was simply too dangerous for Sora to do that on his own. The chest plate protects his heart but also keeps the enemy from tracking where Sora is, so of course the nightmares would want the armor gone. Also, if King Triton is correct and that the darkness coming out of the crystals is trying to force Sora's heart out so that heartless can devour it, the armor keeps the dark infection around Sora's heart at bay and keeps his heart from being shoved out. So even if Sora is left completely helpless, a heartless can't touch his heart because the blessed plate would repel it.

The elder teen does feel guilty as he can see Sora getting more and more restless but his own heart is telling him he needs to keep Sora in the dark and to keep the plate on without ever seeing or knowing about his own exposed heart. Even if Riku doesn't know exactly why his actions are actually keeping Sora safe, he just knows that it's the right thing to do. Even if he can't explain it to Sora. Even if it may upset him. He will accept all frustration and shoulder the task of calming Sora down over and over, anything to keep him safe.

Eventually things get to the point where Sora has to practice walking with two balance beams just hold himself upright. Phil won't assign him any more drills in good conscience, so Sora just repeats the exercises he knows he should do while Phil quietly supervises since he can't talk Sora out of it. Again, he focuses on very simple things as he tries to force his legs to work again. He only has one crystal in each leg, but each leg is becoming more unresponsive because of the crystals along his spine messing with the nerves that tell his legs what to do. Soon even his left arm starts acting up and it's taking all that he has to brace his hands on two balance beams so he can keep walking.

On the 13th day of training, as the sun was beginning to set and after about the hundredth time watching Sora fall to his knees and pull himself up again, Phil couldn't bear to watch any more for the day and gently approached Sora. "Come on, kid. You did good today. How about you take a break? I think you've earned it."

"No...not yet," Sora huffed as beads of sweat dripped down his face while his body trembled unsteadily.

"Kid..."

"You don't get it, Phil. I can't stop. I can't give up. If I can't get back to where I was, I'm no good to anybody. If I can't wield a keyblade, there's nothing else for me."

"You can't believe that, kid. Do you mean to tell me you really don't see a life outside of all this fighting and putting your neck out on the line every day?"

"If I don't keep up, I'll just get left behind. Riku's a keyblade master, Kairi's a princess, and I'm just the second string. I can't go home and go back to being normal knowing what I know now."

Meg overheard and approached Sora, nodding to Phil who understood he was dismissed before she gave the teen a potion to help him recover. "You really want to travel with Riku, huh?"

Sora gulped down the potion and leaned against the balance beam, gripping it with both hands as he stared down at the dirt. "Yeah, more than anything. But I can't do it if I'm not good enough. I'll just hold him back otherwise."

"Let me ask you this, then, has Riku ever told you that you aren't enough?"

Sora looked up, his eyes beginning to fill with tears, "No...he hasn't."

"Then for the time being, maybe this IS enough. I think you should move on and continue your journey with Riku. Maybe in time, your strength will return without you forcing it."

"Do you really think that will be enough?" Sora asked in a choked voice. "I don't want to put Riku in danger."

"I think the reality is that it's going to come no matter what. But when it does, you two should be together when it does. You've done well here and we can tell that your skills are there. But you're going to keep beating yourself down if you don't get out there and see for yourself that you are worthy to be by Riku's side."

Sora stared back at the ground, his shoulder shaking as he sobs quietly, tears splashing into the dirt as he allowed them to flow. "Th-thank you so much, Meg...and Phil...and Herc, too. Thank you guys so much. I promise I won't let you down." Meg just smiled and pulled Sora into a hug, startling him at first but he allows himself to embrace her back as he cried his heart out. Everything that had been weighing down on him seemed to have lifted. He felt like he's finally forgiven himself for being weak and felt relief from the pressure, at least for the time being. "I mean it. I'll never forget what you guys have done for me. Thank you for believing in me."

On that day, Riku had received word from Geppetto that his gift was finally ready for Sora. So after his mission for the day he sped over to pick it up before returning to Thebes. He had the gift now, but when would be a good time to give it to him? By the time he had arrived, the stars were already starting to come out and he was surprised to see that Phil and Hercules were waiting in the courtyard to greet him instead of already being at the dinner table. They told him Sora was still in the training yard and they suggested that the two of them discuss what they want to do next because it seems Sora has hit a wall with his training and it wouldn't do him any good to stick around here any longer. The keyblade master was a little surprised to hear about this all of a sudden, but he told them he understood and walked out to the training yard only to almost run into Meg who was on her way back. She pointed out where Sora was and said nothing, just gave him a smile before heading inside to join the others.

As Riku approached Sora, he could see he was struggling to hold himself upright on the balance beams, which concerned Riku because as far as he knew Sora didn't have _this_ much trouble supporting himself. "Sora...?"

"Riku!" Sora was so startled he lost his concentration and nearly fell again. But held on and tried to make it look like he was just leaning there casually. "Riku...I...there's something we need to talk about."

The elder teen approached and gently took Sora's hand to guide him away from the balance beam and although Sora tried to take a couple of steps, he stumbled immediately, forcing Riku to catch him and hold him upright. "You can't walk, can you?"

Sora leaned into him and felt himself began to cry again. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry, Riku. I tried so hard. I wanted to be good enough to travel with you. But every hour I'm not with you I feel like I'm getting worse. I'm sorry I didn't tell you sooner, but I just wanted to get strong again so badly...I didn't want to disappoint anybody."

Riku held him tightly and buried his nose into Sora's hair, running his fingers through it as he let the smaller teen sob into his chest. "Oh Sora...you've always been good enough. In fact, you've been MORE than enough. For now on, we travel together. No more getting left behind." He smiled when he felt Sora stop shaking and gently pulled away to pull his gift out of his jacket pocket. "I wanted to give this to you when I thought the time was right. Right now seems a good a time as any."

"For me?" Sora sniffled and accepted the small black box with trembling fingers.

"Go ahead and open it," Riku encouraged while he held Sora steady by his waist.

Sora slowly tilted the lid back and his eyes widened in awe and wonder as the box opened up to reveal a tiny silver beach scene with a familiar paopu tree. Immediately a familiar tune began to play and a circular disk in the background began to rotate, depicting a never-ending shower of stars as they twinkled and fell in time with the music. The brunette was speechless and any words he tried to form got stuck in his throat as he felt overwhelming joy in his heart while it seemed to sing along with the beautiful melody. Riku gently took the box from him and set it on the balance beam before taking both Sora's hands and leading him into a dance. "Wait...Riku..."

"You can do it, trust me," Riku murmured softly as he kept one hand on Sora's waist while grasping his hand with the other.

Sora followed his lead and found he suddenly felt weightless as he let Riku guide him into a waltz. Together they danced under the twinkling stars while the tiny music box played the song of their hearts. Any tears that escaped Sora now were ones of pure joy as he kept up with Riku and stared into his beautiful teal eyes. He even managed to not fall as Riku playfully twirled him around and he laughed along with him as they increased their tempo. Eventually they slowed down and pulled each other into a deep kiss until they stopped altogether and held each other beneath the moonlight. "Riku..."

"Do you like it?" Riku asked.

"It's perfect. When did you find the time to...where did you get it?"

"Never mind the details," Riku smiled and picked it up to hand it back to Sora. "Just keep this with you always. Whenever I'm not with you, use it to remember the promises we've made together."

Sora chuckled and held it to his chest as he stood on his toes to give Riku a kiss on the cheek. "How could I ever forget? But I promise I'll always keep it with me."

"Good. Now about tomorrow...what do you say to coming to Arendelle with me first thing in the morning?"

Just as Sora was about to answer, he gasped and threw his head back as he clutched at his throat. Riku held onto him as a beam of light suddenly shot out of Sora's neck and before either could even question what the heck just happened, a black shard of crystal fell from the air and landed between them on the ground.

"Are you okay, Sora?!" Riku checked him over and once Sora nodded and said that he was okay, he made quick work of grabbing the shard jar out of his side pocket to scoop up the thing apparently just shot out of the brunette's neck. "That could've taken an eye out!"

Sora gasped like a fish out of water for a moment before gathering his composure again. He rubbed at his adam's apple in irritation as he attempted to soothe away the stinging sensation left behind by the crystal. "Of all the places to shoot out from," Sora croaked before clearing his throat in attempt to speak clearly again. "Let's hope the others don't come out that way."

"Let's hope they don't shoot out the other end, either."


	19. Softly Crying, Hardly Breathing

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sora and Riku are off on their first adventure together. Sora wastes no time in introducing Riku to everyone and getting the heartless investigation underway as they look into why a local hot spring has come under attack. Sora is eager to prove that he can do anything as long as he and Riku are together but even as they work together, the darkness eating Sora alive tries to drive a wedge between the two of them.

Just from Riku briefing Sora on their mission, Sora could already tell that this was going to be much different from his other adventures. It wasn't just because Riku was here piloting the gummi ship, but because this might be the first time he's visited a world with a clearly defined mission. "Close the keyholes" or "regain the power of waking" are instructions, yes, but how he achieved those results were all kind of done on the fly. This time there were clearly defined goals and instructions. It was different, but that didn't mean it was a bad thing. At least for once the pressure wasn't on him to figure out where he should go next or what he should do when he gets there. But the way Riku went through the itinerary, it didn't sound like there wasn't much room in there to have fun. He understood they were on serious business, but surely there must be some room in there for a little lightheartedness.

Riku explained that they've been in contact with Elsa and the other princesses after the new threat had made itself known. The ice queen wanted to offer something to help but in return she asked if they could investigate the increase in heartless that have shown up around their trade routes and their hot spring resort area.

"Hot spring resort, you say?" Sora asked, his interest piqued.

Riku smirked, "Don't get any ideas. We're here on business, remember?"

"I know. But balancing business with pleasure usually works out for me."

"We'll see how that later. For now, our services are on loan to the queen. We go where she says."

"You make it sound like we're hired muscle or something. Relax a little. We're helping out a friend. There's no need to be so formal. I mean, definitely not informal like you and the king, but you know..."

"Uh-huh, got it. Tell you what, since you know them already, I'll let you make all the introductions."

"No problem. Leave it to me."

"In exchange, I'll take the lead."

"Um...well, I guess that's fine. It's technically your mission, I guess." Sora couldn't help feeling slightly deflated at the realization that this is Riku's mission and he's really just along for the ride. They've technically haven't even been assigned together. In fact, the only reason Mickey wasn't here with them was because it was going to be a multiple day trip and because Riku insisted that he'd be fine and that Sora wouldn't slow him down. This was all discussed over the gummi phone beforehand and although he wasn't part of the call, Sora could tell from overhearing Yen Sid's voice that he lacked any confidence that Sora would be an equal partner on this mission. The wizard may have been right, but he didn't have to imply that Sora didn't have anything to offer, either.

After an awkward silence, Riku spoke up again. "Are you mad?"

"No, I'm proud of you. You've always been a great leader and I'm always happy to support you in any way I can. But...Master Yen Sid sounded like I shouldn't be here. I would've understood if you wanted the King here too," Sora explained apologetically as he stares down at his hands.

"Hey, having you here is better than not having you here, even if you're not at 100%. No matter what happens, you always make miracles happen, Sora. So I do want you here. You give me hope." He reaches for Sora's hand so that the brunette is forced to look into his eyes. His larger hand intertwined their fingers and raises them to his lips to kiss the back of Sora's hand, his teal eyes locked with sapphire ones as they reflected a look of genuine sincerity that melts Sora's doubts away. "No matter what you may think or what others might say, you make me strong, Sora."

"Thank you, Riku," Sora's eyes crinkle shut as he smiles happily. "You make me strong, too. You help me believe in myself whenever I need it most. So I'm happy to follow your lead. But is me being here enough?"

"Like I said; it's more than enough," Riku smiled and gave his hand another firm squeeze before releasing it so he can go back to piloting the gummi ship with both hands.

Upon their arrival, Riku showed Sora the warm outfits they'd be wearing in this world and needless to say, the brunette was overjoyed. Each of them got wool pants that tucked into fur-lined boots and were also given matching coats to wear over their normal shirts. Sora's ensemble was scarlet red and Riku's a dark navy blue. The only difference between the two were the loop clasps. Sora's were small crowns carved from white bone and Riku's were metal heart crests. Once they were all bundled up, they warped to the base of the mountain near Arendelle.

Almost immediately Sora has trouble getting through the snow because he just can't walk fast enough to stay on top of it. Thankfully, the keyblade Mickey gave him can form change into an enclosed sled complete with two rods to pull himself along and steer with. It was like skiing, but while sitting down!

"Nice ride," Riku quips.

"You want to squeeze in behind me?" Sora jokes as he playfully swats some snow in Riku's direction with one of the poles.

"That's alright, I'll find another way to keep up."

"Well, Arendelle is right down there and it's all downhill," Sora points out the quaint little kingdom in the distance. "Wanna have a race?"

"Sure, you're on!" the keyblade master grins and summons Braveheart as he takes a stance next to Sora. "You count us off."

"Ready, set, go!" Sora shouts and lunges himself forward with poth poles as hard as he can to propel himself down the slope. At the same time, Riku cast blizzaga and was now using flowmotion down the trail of ice he created for himself.

"See you at the finish line!" Riku cackled as he zips past Sora, having much less friction on ice than Sora does on the snow.

"Oh no you don't! DEEP FREEZE!" In an effort to copy Riku, Sora makes his own trail of ice and rides on top of it with his ski sled, tucking his body in as close as he possibly can to catch up to the silver-haired teen.

Just as they're neck and neck, a frost giant stampedes in front of them and blocks their combined path to the kingdom. It roars so loudly that the snow falls off the branches from the nearby trees. The teens screech to a halt before they run into the icy beast but they're already too close and it scoops Sora up first, his sled falling to the ground.

"Sora!" Riku raises Braveheart to strike, but an eruption of laughter stops him dead in his tracks.

"Marshmallow!! How you doin', buddy?" Sora greets the giant snowman with a wave while still be clutched in its icy grip.

"Soraaaaaaaa!" the giant returned the greeting before gently setting Sora back down on the ground.

"What...what is it?" Riku asked, still recovering from the shock.

"This is Marshmallow. He's a creation of Elsa's. Were you guarding the path to the kingdom, pal? Any trouble yet?"

"No trouble...boring," Marshmallow grunted and sighed, earning a chuckle from both teens.

"Well, peace and quiet can be good every now and then, right?" Sora beamed and waved Riku over. "By the way, this is my friend, Riku! We're on our way to visit Anna and Elsa."

"Ri...ku," the snowman leaned in to study Riku's face closely who could only sheepishly wave hello.

"Hello...uh...Marshmallow, was it? It's nice to meet you," Riku greeted awkwardly.

"Riku Sora friend. Riku welcome."

"Thank you very much, Marshmallow, I'm happy to be here."

Sora grinned and leaned on Riku, after all, being rough-handled a second ago didn't really agree with him too much. "Well, it was great seeing you again. But we really need to get going. We'll see you around!"

The ice giant grunted and stepped aside so the two could continue on their way. Sora summoned his sled again and the two continued down the path but at a more leisurely pace. The gate to the kingdom was already within sight and the snow cleared out to reveal a stone path so Sora had to abandon the sled and rely on his crutches again.

"The ground is a little more even here if you want to take a break and sit in your wheel chair for a bit," Riku offered.

"I appreciate it, but I'll be okay," Sora assured him.

Once they arrived at the gate and announced they were there to see Queen Elsa, the two were immediately escorted into a nearby open carriage and taken directly to the castle. Along the way, the two gleaned over the layout of the quaint kingdom, admiring the pretty buildings and enjoying the scent of food wafting through the air from the nearby bakeries and restaurants. They even spotted several large ships at the port, which Sora pointed at excitedly while he compared them to the ships in the Caribbean.

"So I guess it's safe to say you haven't seen any of this, have you?" Riku observed as he held onto Sora's belt to keep him from falling out of the carriage while he excited leaned over to look at stuff as they rode by.

"Nope! I've spent all of my time here up on that mountain over there!" he pointed toward the direction they just came from where Elsa's ice castle can be seen glinting in the distance as it reflected the afternoon sun.

"Hm, well maybe if we have time once our mission's done we can spend a little time around town," Riku suggested.

Sora gasped happily and sat back down properly to scooch closer to Riku, "You mean like a date?"

Riku smirked and leaned back in his seat while he snaked an arm around Sora's hips. "Sure, why not? But IF we have time. I don't want to make a promise I can't keep."

"No, you're right, I understand. We'll just have to make sure this goes smoothly then!" Sora grinned and gave Riku a quick peck on the cheek just as they arrived at the castle courtyard.

The carriage pulled around a large fountain before coming to a stop at the front doors where Anna and Elsa were standing and ready to greet them. Riku hopped out of the carriage first and hurried around the other side to help Sora step out. The brunette thanked him quietly and summoned his keyblade's walking stick form before leading the way to greet the queen and princess of Arendelle. "Your majesty and your highness!" he greeted happily. "It's so great to see you!"

"Sora!" Anna cried out joyfully and wasted no time in hurrying down the steps to give Sora a gentle hug. Elsa had a look of relief painted on her face as she smiled with her hands clasped in front of her chest before she too walked after Anna.

"We're so glad to see you looking well. When we heard word of what happened to you...well...It's wonderful to see you again," Elsa took Sora's hand and clasped it gently in between her elegant ones.

Anna turned her attention to Riku, "Oh, I'm sorry, I just realized we haven't been introduced."

"Oh! I'm sorry, ladies!" Sora reaches his hand out towards Riku who grabs it and allows himself to be pulled forward to stand beside him. "This is my dear friend, Riku. He's the one who's been sent here to help out."

Anna's eyes flick between Sora and Riku and down at their joined hands before she put two and two together and began grinning broadly in realization, "Riku, you mean THIS is Riku? It's so great to meet you. Sora's told us about you!"

"He has?" Riku blinked, slightly taken aback. "I mean, pleased to meet you Queen Elsa, Princess Anna," Riku bowed his head politely.

Elsa cleared her throat to get everything back on track, "It's very nice to meet you, Riku. Thank you for coming to help us. While you two are here, you're our honored guests so please don't hesitate to ask if you need anything. If you'll follow us, we're just about to have lunch. If you join us, we can discuss the details."

"Of course," Riku nodded and the teens followed Elsa, Anna, and their entourage to the dining room where lunch was waiting to be served. Elsa sat at the head of the table with Anna to her right and the queen requested Riku sit to her left and Sora sat next to Riku so they could all discuss the upcoming mission.

The dining room was lit brightly from the incoming sun shining through the very large glass windows. At the back of the room a very large fireplace was lit with a cozy fire to keep the place warm. The walls were painted with rich colors and decorated with various large paintings depicting scenes of social gatherings and large feasts. All things considered, it felt pretty cozy, especially when you compare it to the ice palace that Elsa had created for herself when she fled for the mountain.

"I do hope you'll forgive me if I just get straight to the reason why you're here," Elsa began after they've all taken several bites of their lunch.

"We understand that you've been having trouble with citizens getting attacked at the hot springs. Have there been other casualties other than what you reported last time?"

"Those creatures, the heartless as I believe Sora called them, have taken eight victims, as far as we know," Elsa answered with a heavy heart, her hands trembling as she tries to cut at the food on her plate with her knife and fork. "There have been sightings along the trade routes but so far the only casualties have come from the hot springs. Since then, we've forbidden anybody from going near that area."

"Why the hot springs specifically? Why now?" Sora asked.

"There's a legend that the hot springs have the power to heal the sick and injured," Anna explained. "People travel from all over during this season to bathe there, not just those from our village. We believe that the heartless are attacking easy targets. Those who have perished were already in a bad way..." she added solemnly.

"Our hearts are heavy with grief from these tragedies. It may be too late for us to help those people, but I want to assure my people that we are doing everything we can to keep this from happening again. Do you think you can help us make the sacred waters a safe place again?" Elsa asked, her heart pleading with Riku's as she looked him in the eyes.

"We'll do everything we can, your majesty. For the heartless to just appear in that area when they haven't before...there must be a reason. We'll do our best to find out what that reason is and then give them a good reason to never come back," Riku assured her.

"Yeah, like us kicking their butt!" Sora cheered with a resolute fist in the air.

"Haha, that's what I like to hear!" Anna cheered with him, fist also raised in the air.

Riku and Elsa chuckled at their enthusiasm, the levity in the room slightly lifted. "Oh, and one last thing," Elsa continued, "About what was discussed before all of this began, I'm almost finished with it. I needed a little extra time to make it just right. So if it's all the same to you, I'd like to give it to you after this mission is over."

Sora tilted his head curiously, not entirely understanding what she meant but he assumed it had something to do with the help that Riku mentioned she was going to give them.

"Of course," Riku nodded. "In the meantime, if it would please your Majesty, might you point us in the direction of the hot springs? We'd like to begin our investigation as soon as possible and be back before sundown."

"Wasting no time, I see?" Anna smiled. "I like your style. I have a friend who can escort you there the quickest. He'll take you as far as he can and point you in the right direction from there. When you're done, he'll be around to escort you back. He's grown up in these woods and mountains, so he can answer any questions you might have too."

"You mean Kristoff?" Sora asked, grinning broadly. "Sounds great!"

Riku wasn't so sure about them having an escort with them in case it gets dangerous but if Sora is this excited about this Kristoff person, then it must be alright. "Sounds like a plan. How soon would he be prepared to leave?"

"As soon as we're done with lunch, I'll introduce you at the stables."

"Please be careful, you two," Elsa pleaded. "You're the only hope Arendelle has."

"Not to worry. If anything happens, we have ways to call for backup. But no matter what, do not send anybody to look for us. We don't need any more victims," Riku stated calmly.

"Alright," the queen nodded. "But do try to be back by sunset. It gets dangerously cold once the sun goes down."

"And dinner's at 7:30," Anna added.

"Haha, then we'll be back at 7:15!" Sora promised.

. . .

At the stables, Anna introduced the boys to Kristoff and Sven the reindeer. The introductions were kept brief as they were already burning daylight and Kristoff had to quickly show them how to ride on the reindeer that he had saddled for them. Riku was resistant at first but Kristoff insisted it was the fastest way to get where they were going so he went along with it. Sora was more than happy to make friends with the giant animal and couldn't be more enthusiastic about the trek they were about to embark upon, even if the saddle made his back hurt quite a bit. After realizing that they've been provided a way to help Sora get around without any fuss, Riku was definitely feeling more grateful, even if the reindeer smelled funny.

They left the village pretty quickly after they got the hang of the reins and rode alongside Kristoff as he lead the way past Arendelle's city limits and back into the snow-covered fields, waving at Marshmallow as they passed him on the way. It didn't take too long before he then led them off the beaten path in favor of more rough terrain that wrapped around the mountain and through the overgrown bush of the woods. Riku kept his wits about him the entire time, staying consistently on high alert while Sora was just enjoying the ride while trying to ignore the throbbing pain in his back. To further help distract himself, he struck up a conversation with Kristoff about what's been happening here recently and asked him to tell them more about the hot spring legend.

"So what's this about a legend? Is it true that the hot springs can heal people?" Sora asked.

"From what I understand, there's a legend that the hot springs run hot because they're connected to the heart of this world and that its light is what gives them their healing properties," Kristoff explained.

Naturally, the mention of the world's heart grabbed both Sora and Riku's attention, as it was certainly a concept that they were familiar with. Sora's eyes were wide with wonder, "Really? Do you think it's really true?"

"If it really is true, it would explain the proximity of the heartless to the mountain, but it wouldn't explain why they're just now showing up at the hot spring," Riku pondered out loud, the reindeer beneath him grunting as if it agreed with him.

"Unless the light's been pushing back the heartless this whole time. So if the heartless are here now, maybe the light's getting weaker?" Sora suggested grimly.

"Or...the darkness is getting stronger," Riku frowned. "Like say an outside source has come and upset the balance."

"Well, I have it on high authority that the light is as strong as it's ever been. I've got some friends in the know about these things," Kristoff assured them.

"But what about the darkness getting stronger?" Sora asked.

"That...I don't know. I guess that's why we called you guys," Kristoff grinned sheepishly. "But even if the light is safe, the hot springs give hope to many people and it keeps the legend and respect of the world's heart alive. We can't just let those gremlins take over and tell the people to stay away. Because then what would happen after that?"

"Hm..." Riku stared ahead and considered Kristoff's words. While he appreciated the sentiment, when it comes down to it, the world's heart is kept alive by the light of its inhabitants. If a decision had to be made about walling off the springs in order to keep the people safe, then by all means that's what would be done. Besides, nobody has even mentioned if the springs actually work or not. So what's the point of using a symbol of false hope, especially if people are risking their lives to make the trip? He kept these thoughts to himself as he turned his head to look at Sora who was now hanging onto Kristoff's every word as he spoke about other fantastical things like magical trolls and the like. He hopes the brunette doesn't get too caught up in the idea of a magical healing hot spring, lest he be disappointed. As he stared back ahead, he wondered if perhaps he was being too judgmental about people risking their safety for a chance to test the spring's legend. Now that he thought about it, he supposes he's taken the ability to cast healing spells and convenience of potions for granted until recently. After what's happened to Sora, he now knows for sure there are just some things that can't be fixed with magic and potions. But if there's room for an argument to be made about their how their belief in Sora has helped keep him alive this long, then who was he to say whether the hope the springs provide is helpful or not?

It wasn't much longer after that when the reindeer came to a dead stop right when Kristoff was in the middle of telling Sora about the birthday party that Elsa tried to throw for Anna. "Whoooa. Steady, guys!" Kristoff tried to soothe the reindeer who have now become restless. "I guess this as far as they'll go. But you two should be fine. It's pretty much a straight shot from here. Just follow the stone path and keep an ear out for the sounds of rushing water. If you see steam, you're going in the right direction. I'll wait out here for you and build a fire so you can find me when you're ready to go back."

"Thanks, Kristoff!" Sora thanked him as Riku helped him dismount the reindeer.

"We'll be back out as soon as we can. Thanks for getting us here so quickly," Riku added.

"No problem. Sven needed the exercise anyway. Just do me a favor and be careful in there."

"We will! See you in a bit!" Sora bumped fists with Kristoff and followed Riku's lead into the mysterious woods while using his crutches for support.

Immediately the boys could tell something was different about this patch of forest as there didn't seem to be as much snow on the ground as compared to the amount in the the other woods they've ridden through on their way here. The trees themselves seemed to be much more diverse as well with some having white bark and red leaves which really stood out amongst the conifers they saw when they first entered. As promised, there was a stone path that's been worn smooth by many visitors over time. It wasn't much further in that they heard the sounds similar to that of a babbling brook along with the songs of many small birds who have taken roost here where the temperature was definitely much warmer. Soon they came upon the end of the path where Sora expected to see a small pool or something awaiting them but instead of just one hot spring, there was a whole SYSTEM of them, each surrounded by rocks and resting on different levels of ground, all connected by one trickling waterfall that appeared to be sourced from a cave in the side of a cliff. The steamy waterfall was one of the first things that caught their attention and their eyes traced its flow back and forth as it appeared to zig zagged and gather in pools scattered in three distinct levels. Each pool seemed to have been helped along and shaped by hand as they seemed to be lined with smooth rocks and even dammed off in some areas in favor of making separate diverting streams to fill the other basins so that any dirt doesn't get carried down through every single bath and gather at the end. That being said, depending on where the diverting streams flowed, the pools appeared to have different levels of heat and minerals in the water. Riku noticed one of the pools appeared to have an herb garden growing around it and wondered if maybe those who chose to bathe in that particular area added herbs to the water for different effects.

"Whooooooooaa...It's a little louder than I expected!" Sora commented over all the babbling water and chattering birds.

"It's because the sound's bouncing off the cliffs," Riku explained. "It sounds like a hundred giant bath tubs getting filled at once!"

"You're right, it sounds exactly like that!" Sora laughed. "Oh look, those over there are bubbling!"

"There must be warm gas escaping underneath," Riku commented. "Or it's boiling hot."

"Why don't you stick your finger in there and see?" Sora dared.

Riku rolled his eyes, "No thanks. Besides, remember why we're here?"

"Right, heartless. But I don't see any. I thought for sure we'd at least see them in the woods on our way up here. Do you think they've moved on since Elsa told people to stop coming up here?" the brunette wondered as he looked around.

"Hm...I wonder..." Riku gave the air a good whiff, but his sense of smell was being distorted by the steam and scent of sulfur coming from the hot spring. The closest source of darkness that he could actually make out was the scent coming off of Sora, so that didn't help much. But speaking of which, something was off about Sora's scent, too, as in he could smell more darkness coming off of him than usual. Maybe it's because I need to change his bandages soon, he wondered to himself.

Sora could feel Riku staring and turned to look at him. The brunette tilted his head to silently question him, "Hm?"

Riku realized he got caught staring and smiled apologetically. He then inquired if Sora was feeling alright after the journey up here.

"Well it WAS a bumpy ride," Sora answered matter-of-factly as he absently pulled out a potion and chugged it down, taking the opportunity to attend to the pain that he'd been ignoring up until now. "But I'm okay. Like I said before, having you nearby helps a lot. As long as we stick close together, I can handle it."

"That's good. I'm glad to hear it. Just don't be afraid to tell me when you need a break."

"Don't worry, if I'm in a really bad way I'm sure you'll be the first to know," Sora grinned while tapping Riku's chest above his heart as a cheeky reminder of their connection. "So what now?"

"Something is very fishy here."

"I think that's the sulfur," Sora deadpanned.

"Well besides that. Of all the worlds that have reported more heartless readings, this is the first of the worlds to report the sorts of casualties that would be expected. AKA, this is the first to report NORMAL activity that would occur when heartless numbers increase. Yet here we are at the scene of the incidents and not only are there not any heartless but we haven't seen a single one anywhere since we've arrived!"

Sora could tell his friend was getting frustrated. He had heard from Riku about going to other worlds because of surges in heartless reports but always coming back empty-handed because they just don't seem to show up. All worlds have a touch of darkness; there's no getting around it. But some time ago, many many artificial ones were made and those were the ones Xehanort's heartless was using to plague the worlds and muck up the gateways in an effort to steal the hearts of the worlds. Since then, heartless and nobodies have been used in different ways for different means. Depending on what heartless they do find would determine their next course of action and would help them determine what the enemy's goals might be...if there even is one. But so far a lot of things just weren't adding up and from what Sora can gather, the lack of clues seems to be making everybody incredibly anxious, Riku especially.

"Well, we know they're attacking bathers, how about we just use ourselves as bait?"

Riku seemed very much against the idea, "Say we do, and they swarm us, what then?"

"We'll know when we see them. If they really are the local variety picking on weaker people, then it means they must be on the weak side themselves. Bigger heartless would have been swarming the town already."

"And how big are the local variety?"

"Mm...pretty big. And usually there's a lot of them...like groups of 10 to 15."

"Alright, say we can take on that many, are you willing to fight while wet and half-naked?"

"I mean--if we have to, I guess there's no getting around it, right? We can use a lot of fire spells or take turns holding them off while the other gets dressed?"

"This just all sounds like a bad idea. No offense, but you're the injured one. I feel like you're going to be a huge target whether you get wet or not."

"I'm sure I can hold my own. I'm not quick on my feet, but my magic still works, you know. Taking out swarms is my specialty!"

Riku didn't want to discourage him, but come to think of it he hasn't actually seen Sora do any combat outside of his own nightmares. He felt uneasy, but the brunette did have a point. If there were heartless that the two of them couldn't handle, Riku would've smelled them already, sulfur or not. "Alright, we'll do it your way. But we're going to use extra precautions. And you have to promise me that when it's too much that you will listen when I tell you to run and hide, okay?"

"Ouch, too soon," Sora pouted, though he was really just trying to give Riku a hard time.

"Uh, sorry, I just mean..." the elder teen began to stammer.

Sora interrupted him with a playful laugh to assure him all was well. "I'm joking. I get what you meant. Alright, you're the boss. If you say back off, I will."

"Alright then, I guess we're doing this."

"So what are the extra precautions?"

"Lots of elixirs on standby. And we'll probably have to wear our accessories while we're in the bath. If we get our other gear wet, I think we'd be left more vulnerable to freezing magic and it'd definitely slow us down. I'm not entirely sure these coats we were given repel water as well as our normal gear does."

"That's fair. But then we'll probably have to be in the murkiest pool we can find so they don't know we're armed. Oh, and we might actually have to hide our clothes somewhere safe."

"Huh? Why?"

"There's this kind of monkey heartless that I sometimes run into on random worlds and it likes to play tricks and cause trouble. If I know anything about monkeys, that means it might grab our stuff if we're not careful."

"I'm liking this idea less and less all the time," Riku groaned.

"Then we should probably stop thinking about it and get on with it already," Sora suggested as he started undoing the loops on his coat.

After a few minutes of them scouting out the different pools, they decided on what that was surrounded by a lot of open space. It was near the end of spring's flow and looked the murkiest. It was just the right size for the two to lounge in comfortably while they discussed strategy and waited for their targets to arrive. They decided on the area surrounded with open space so that the heartless wouldn't have any obstacles to hide behind and so Sora's magic can have the easiest time reaching them should they choose to attack in large numbers. Plus, the cliff face was directly behind them, so if Riku wanted to go for the high ground, he could use flowmotion to climb the face easily and gain an advantage.

Besides all of this actually being a good strategy, Sora was also pleased to use it as an excuse to get some fun soak time with Riku. As he allowed himself to sink neck deep in the water, he couldn't help getting annoyed about how on edge Riku was right now. The silver-haired teen's eyes were darting all over the place and he kept turning every other which way. This wasn't exactly Sora's idea of a relaxing time. "Riku," he hissed. "You need to chill. The heartless won't come if they don't think they can sneak up on you. You're not seriously worried that they'll actually get the jump on us, are you?"

Riku frowned and turned back around so that he was facing Sora. "I can't help it. I'm usually only watching out for myself. And even when I was with Mickey he wasn't able to see everything that I could so I looked out for both of us."

"I'm still wondering how you managed to do that with a blindfold, by the way," Sora snorted. "I get it, this is your first time being bait. Don't worry, I got eyes on the back of you and you can keep your eyes above me to make sure we don't get sniped from above. And we can enjoy the soak without you stirring up the dirt."

"We're not actually supposed to be enjoying this," Riku pointed out.

"Speak for yourself. Though I would be enjoying it more if I didn't have this thing on. It feels so weird wearing it in the water."

"You can't take it off," Riku stated bluntly.

"I wasn't going to ask!" Sora snapped back. His tone was a little harsher than he meant for it to be, but he was starting to get really irritated and Riku prematurely shutting him down wasn't helping. "But since we're already here, aren't you curious?"

The elder teen raised an eyebrow, both at Sora's attitude and his question, "About what?"

"You know, about whether the legend is true." Sora tilted his mouth to the side as he suspected Riku was playing dumb on purpose. His patience was beginning to wear thin as his back was already beginning to hurt worse, despite the hot water being initially very soothing up until a minute ago.

Riku wasn't sure he should be entertaining this conversation. "Well, you tell me. How do you feel right now?"

"Nnn...not much different. But almost everything's closed up except for what's under here, right?" Sora indicated by tapping audibly on his armored chest. "You have me wrapped up so tight I'm not even sure it's getting wet under there. Maybe we can take it off for a moment and see? It'll only take a minute. I'll keep my eyes closed, I promise!"

"Sora...we'll have plenty of time to try it after we complete the mission, if you really want to that badly," Riku said gently.

"But...but what if we try it now and it works? I might be able to fight much better when they do show up!" Sora insisted while trying to keep the pain he was in from showing on his face. His left wrist that hasn't recovered yet felt hot as did his lower back, and not just from the water, either.

"I'm sorry, I can't let you take it off while we're out here. Not even for a second."

The brunette starts breathing deeply in and out through his nose in an effort to keep himself from crying out in pain. He swears he can feel something heating himself up from the inside and it feels like the crystals lodged inside of him are stirring. But maybe they're trying to escape like the others did? What if the hot spring really is working? Or maybe it'd be working better if _Riku_ would let him fully soak in it. "Why? I understand you don't want me to look at it. But I'm bandaged up like a mummy underneath of this thing. Why can't you just let me take it off for just a second? In fact, why am I not even allowed to take it off by myself?"

"It's to protect you, Sora," Riku tried to explain calmly, but something wasn't right with Sora and he was starting to become alarmed. He could see him gritting his teeth in between his sentences and he was pretty sure he could see a vein protruding form his neck.

"But even when I'm in a safe place? Why can't I even undo it and set it aside? Do you not trust me to keep my promise about not peeking under the bandages?"

"Of course I trust you. You trust _me_, don't you?"

"Of course I do!" Sora shouted, startling some of the birds in the nearby trees away. "But if this thing is supposed to protect me, why do I hate it so much?" he growled and started curling into himself under the water, as if trying to make himself as small as possible would reduce his pain somehow.

Riku felt taken aback. Now he was certain something wasn't right. Sora would never outright say that he hated a gift, especially one from friends who were trying to help protect him. "Sora...please calm down. You seem to be in a lot of pain, you're not acting like yourself."

"OH AND JUST HOW AM I SUPPOSED TO ACT, RIKU?" the brunette lashed out as his pain had become so white hot that he could barely see straight. "It's not like my body hasn't been torn to hell or anything! So really I have no reason not to put on a happy face, RIGHT!?! After all, this ship runs on happy faces, _RIGHT_!? How much longer do you expect me to put up with this without asking any questions?? When will I be allowed to know how bad it really is!?"

Unbeknownst to the both of them, beneath the murky water the chest plate had begun to glow as heartless have started to draw near. Like King Triton warned, the darkness inside Sora is there to force out his heart so that a heartless can consume it. Therefore, when heartless are nearby, they can sense it calling out to them from Sora's body as if inviting them to a meal. This causes Sora more discomfort and he gets super cranky as he's further compelled by darkness to convince himself he should be allowed to take his plate off so that the heartless can get a better sense of his location which is muffled by the protection that the armor is providing him. Also unbeknownst to them, despite all the protection the plate provides, it's also hindering something deep inside Sora that desperately urges to be let free. Something that's screaming to be heard through the darkness that's constantly trying to infiltrate Sora's heart.

"You have every right to be upset, Sora. I'm sorry if you've felt like you've been pressured in the past to just smile through your pain. But I assure you, nobody in their right mind would blame you for what you're feeling right now. You don't owe anything to anyone. But you do owe it to yourself to be honest about how you feel, especially now because otherwise those feelings will just tear you apart and I don't want to lose you again!"

Just as he was about to pull Sora into a hug, the bright light emanating from the chest plate had gotten bright enough to shine through the murky water, catching the attention of both teens who whipped their heads around to find hoardes of glowing yellow eyes peeking at them from the trees around them and from the rocks above. The two of them quickly burst from the water and summon their keyblades, each prepared to fight.

Riku looked nervously to Sora, but the brunette wasn't even looking at him. Instead he was sizing up every heartless and giving every single one of them the deathglare while gritting his teeth so hard that Riku could see the veins in his temple. "A-are you going to be okay?"

"Okay? OKAY!?" Sora roared and kicked off from the rocks to lunge headfirst into the heartless just as they burst out of their hiding places to all reach for him at once.

"SORA!" Riku shouted after him, but he was cut off by three very large ox-like heartless in armor.

"Does anybody actually think I look okay!?" Sora screamed at nobody in particular as he channels the searing pain in his body to motivate him to keep moving and fight with EVERYTHING he's got, even if he felt like he was being torn apart from the inside as he slashed and cleaved through the heartless in front of him with broad strokes of his ultima keyblade. He just kept telling himself that if the heartless are gone the pain will stop. If the heartless are gone, the pain will stop. He tries linking his attacks with Riku's but he's just too out of control, his limbs randomly going limp while he tries to perform combination attacks and throwing off their rhythm. Now further enraged, Sora starts casting thundaga, lighting up the area and sending the heartless to oblivion with the plasma he summons from the sky over and over again. "LIGHTNING STRIKE!" he roared as he finishes it off with the grand magic Thundaza, summoning a strike so large and devastating that it shook the ground violently beneath them.

The herd was already beginning to thin out and Riku was able to slow his own roll and give Sora more attention. As he paid him a long glance, he noticed something that made his heart stop. From Sora's hands and feet he appeared to be leaving streaks of blood whenever he moved, just like he did when he saw him in that dark form back in the Hall of the Cornerstone. He decided enough was enough and grabbed a hold of Sora's arm to urge him to fall back before he overexerted himself but the younger teen just shook him off and prepared to summon a giant glittering raft into existence. The keyblade master's breath caught in his throat, now genuinely hurt even if he knows Sora's not himself right now. If he was going to get Sora to stop, he'd have to finish off the rest of the stragglers, so he made quick work of using his shotlock ability to blast the rest of them away with bursts of dark firaga, obliterating the last of them from existence.

With the last of them gone, Sora felt a strange surge of relief but also exhaustion to the nth degree. The raft he was about to summon disappeared in a puff of glitter, leaving him to collapse to his knees and then pass out cold.

"SORA!" Riku cried out to him and gathered the half-naked teen in his arms to quickly take him to where they hid their clothes so he could get the both of them dressed. "Come on Sora, don't do this to me..." he begged as he tried to get him to warm up. The keyblade master was so scared for his friend that he was close to tears as he cast cure spell after cure spell. When they didn't seem to have any effect, he just pulled Sora as close to himself as possible and held him tightly while begging for him to wake up. "Please wake up. I'm so sorry. I'm sorry. I'm so sorry I can't help you understand. But it's because I don't understand either. I don't know why my heart is telling me to do this...but I have to believe I'm doing the right thing." A few anguished tears escape from his eyes and splash onto Sora's cheeks as he presses their foreheads together in a silent plea for him to wake up. "No matter what, no matter where I go, my heart has always led to you. I have to trust in it otherwise...I'm lost."


	20. Sorry, Not Sorry

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The tension isn't over. Riku knows he can't accept a world without Sora in it. Sora admits to what almost could have been his final thoughts if Riku hadn't saved him in time. Riku keeps skirting around the issues that Sora wants to discuss leading to Sora sneaking away to have a heart to heart with Queen Elsa.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm done hating myself for feeling  
I'm done crying myself awake  
I've gotta leave and start the healing  
But when you move like that I just want to stay
> 
> What have I become?  
Looking at your phone oh no  
Love to you is just a game  
Look what I have done  
Dialing up the numbers on you  
I don't want my heart to break
> 
> Baby  
How do you sleep when you lie to me?  
All that shame and all that danger  
I'm hoping that my love will keep you up tonight  
Baby  
How do you sleep when you lie to me?  
All that fear and all that pressure  
I'm hoping that my love will keep you up tonight
> 
> Tell me how do you  
Love will keep you up tonight
> 
> Oh no how did I manage to lose me  
I am not this desperate, nor this crazy  
There's no way I'm sticking around to find out  
I won't lose like that, I won't lose myself
> 
> Look what I have done  
Dialing up the numbers on you  
I don't want my heart to break
> 
> Baby  
How do you sleep when you lie to me  
All that shame and all that danger  
I'm hoping that my love will keep you up tonight  
Baby  
How do you sleep when you lie to me  
All that fear and all that pressure  
I'm hoping that my love will keep you up tonight
> 
> Tell me how do you
> 
> I don't wanna be here  
I don't want to see it  
I
> 
> Baby  
How do you sleep when you lie to me  
All that shame and all that danger  
I'm hoping that my love will keep you up tonight  
Baby  
How do you sleep when you lie to me  
All that fear and all that pressure  
I'm hoping that my love will keep you up tonight
> 
> Tell me how do you
> 
> Sam Smith - "How do you sleep?"

_"Master Riku, I'm pleased to hear that Sora's making progress toward his recovery."_

_"Thank you, Master Yen Sid. But I am concerned about his nightmares. I know they're only to be expected, but they seem to have a physical effect on him as well. He also seems to be growing restless about his other injury."_

_"I understand that it must be difficult for you. But you must remain vigilant. Sora's greatest strength is the trust that he has in his own heart. Should he discover the true nature of its current state, he may begin to doubt and spiral into despair. At such a delicate time, such feelings could prove to be disastrous for his recovery."_

_"But Sora is strong. Isn't it cruel to leave him in the dark?"_

_"Or perhaps maybe it's more unfair to assume that he is strong enough, especially after what he's been through. That's why he needs you to be there for him. You need to be strong for the both your sakes. I know you can do it, Master Riku. Without that armor, Sora's heart left uncontained would become even more of a beacon for heartless. Not only that, if the enemy really is probing into Sora's dreams, his knowledge of his true condition could give them information that might be used against him. We can't take any chances."_

_"Understood, Master."_

_"May your heart be your guiding key." _

"Riku...you're crying..."

Riku's eyes flew open and he pulled slightly away to take in Sora's face. He was overjoyed but also hurt and just full of so many feelings at once that for a moment he could only bite his lower lip as a few more tears escaped and splashed down onto Sora. "Of course I am. You broke your promise to me," he managed to say as he struggled to speak through the tears that were choking his throat. He then cleared his throat and tried to pull himself together as he roughly wiped his eyes on the back of his fist and used his thumb to brush away the tears that he dropped on the brunette's cheeks.

"Riku...I-I didn't mean..." Sora stammered as he felt Riku's tears burning his cheeks even after they were wiped away. He can't even remember the last time he saw Riku cry.

"I know. I know you didn't. It's fine."

"No, it's not. I hurt you..." his voice trembled, unable to believe the words coming out of his own mouth. He hurt Riku. HE hurt Riku. He made Riku cry.

"It's okay. I'm just sad, is all. But I'm also happy that you're awake. You really had me scared for a moment," Riku tried to laugh it off as relief began to wash over him like a warm blanket. He wasn't even sure why he was so scared. He knew Sora still had his heart and he didn't see him take any serious hits. But something about his aura before he went down made Riku fear the worst.

"Riku...am I dying?"

"What?" the teen felt his heart stop when the question left Sora's lips. In fact, time itself felt like it froze as his mind immediately recalled the one moment he actually thought that Sora wasn't going to make it and how close he was to feeling completely destroyed if it weren't for Sora showing signs of improvement for the first time that very evening. Even now, just thinking about how close it was sends his heart racing and makes his blood run cold. He'll never forget that day, but he sure hates remembering it.

"Is that why you won't let me look at myself?" the smaller teen asked while unshed tears began to fill the corners of his eyes.

"Sora...that's not--"

"I don't want to die, Riku. Not like this. I don't want to leave you," Sora sniffled loudly as the dam broke and tears began streaming down his cheeks to join Riku's.

"You're not going anywhere, Sora. I won't let it happen. We're going to pull through this together. I'm never leaving your side," Riku stated firmly as he pulled Sora close again to his chest, arms wrapped around him guardedly.

"But if I hurt you--"

"I'll take all of it. I'll share in your hurt. Anything to get you through this. I don't care. As long as it means you'll be all right," the keyblade master vowed as he clutched the back of Sora's head and buried his face into his messy brown tufts.

"I'm sorry, Riku...I'm sorry..." Sora whispered as he sobbed into Riku's chest.

The two held each other on the ground as they hugged it out for several long minutes. While they took their time pulling themselves together, Riku noticed no more heartless have arrived since he finished off the last group. If they didn't regroup and come after them while they had their guard down then it was safe to assume that they wouldn't be back for a while. They decided it'd be a good idea to check again tomorrow. In the meantime, they needed to get back to Kristoff and report to Elsa. However, they determined that Sora couldn't even move his limbs anymore so they resorted to Riku carrying him on his back as they left the hot spring woods to locate Kristoff.

It didn't take too long to find him as Riku spotted the smoke signal fairly quickly. The ice gatherer was overjoyed to see them in one piece but Sora's condition was not lost on him as he immediately noticed how pale the normally sun-kissed teen had become. When Sora still couldn't move, Kristoff decided the teen should ride with Riku. After getting Riku on first, they worked together to lift Sora so that he sat on the saddle in front of Riku while leaning back against him so Riku can hold him in his arms and grip the reins properly at the same time. Once they were secure, Kristoff led the other reindeer on a lead and quickly guided them back to the castle post haste. Since they were going at a much faster pace so as to make it back before sunset, it was quite a bumpy ride for Sora, but being cradled in between Riku's arms while he rested back against his chest made it much easier and somehow he was able to fall asleep on the way back.

When Sora next awoke, he was being cradled in Riku's arms. His head was pounding in his ears but he could make out footsteps and Anna's voice as she led Riku to where they must be staying tonight, from what Sora could gather. "We'll have dinner brought up to you. Are you sure you won't need anything else? Is he going to be okay?"

"Thank you, your highness. I'm sorry we couldn't join you for dinner...I hope we didn't cause a scene."

"No, not at all! Please, if you need anything, just ask. We're just so glad that you two made it back safely...or for the most part, I guess."

Sora heard the door creak open and continued to keep his eyes closed and keep quiet while he felt Riku deposit him onto a soft bed.

"We really appreciate your hospitality. As for the investigation, I can give the two of you a full report in the morning if you'd like. But the short answer is that we don't know why they've suddenly started appearing, but it seems we've cleared them out for the time being. We're going to check up there again tomorrow to see if they return and hopefully do a little more digging around for any clues. We wouldn't want to leave if there's a chance they'll be back the minute we turn around," Riku explained as he removed his coat and then leaned over Sora to remove his.

"Hey, that's still very good news! I'll let Elsa know right away. Again, I'll send dinner up for you two. There's a bell right there that you can tug if you need anything from the staff. Breakfast is at 9. I'm sure that would be the best time for you to speak to Elsa before you two run off again."

"Thank you. We'll see you then," Riku walked her out and thanked her one more time before closing the door.

Sora could hear Riku rushing to light the lamps and close the curtains so he could tend to Sora as quickly as he can. The brunette decided this was the best time to let Riku know he was awake so he did his best to sit up on the bed. Though he was successful, his stomach growled angrily as he realized how hungry he was.

"I heard that," the silver-haired teen smirked. "Don't worry, food's coming. Now let's take a look at the damage." He quickly unzipped his duffel bag of supplies and let the little metal trash can out which clanked about on the wood floor while it waited impatiently for Riku to unravel Sora's bandages. First thing Riku had to do though was help Sora tug off his clothing which was dripping wet from the snow. He then hung both their clothes to dry in front of the fireplace and changed into a pair of sweats and a t-shirt. "What pajamas do you want to wear tonight?" Riku asked as he searched for sleep clothes for Sora.

"I don't care. Please...I just want this thing off of me," Sora pleaded.

Riku turned around to see Sora squirming and gripping at the metal plate, not trying to tear it off, but more like desperately lifting the edges as if just elevating a corner gave him some semblance of relief. He even seemed like he was struggling to breathe. "I'm sorry. Hold on, I'm coming, I'm coming!" he set the clothing aside for the time being and hurried to fumble with the buckles on Sora's chest. The teen was mewling with impatience as he undid each one. "It's alright, you're alright. Just one more, almost done." Once he finally got it undone, Sora gasped and moaned audibly in relief. Riku was a bit taken aback as he watched Sora gulp and take several shallow breaths as if he hadn't been breathing properly all day. And judging by the state of his bandages, he may very well not have. The bandages around the teen's chest and torso looked as though they were dyed black as they were completely saturated with dark matter. It wasn't just the ones on his upper body, either. The bandages around both his legs and his arm were splotched all over with large amounts of black with a volume Riku doesn't think he's ever seen before.

Sora caught him staring and looked down at himself, gasping as he took in the sight as well. "Riku...?" he trembled as he took in the sight.

"Y-you're okay," Riku assured him as he answered Sora's unasked question. "Maybe the bandages were extra absorbent today." He unwrapped his legs first and found what looked like a lot of dark bruising along his thighs. There was also a new addition of black vein-like marks which Riku trailed all the way up to Sora's butt (much to the brunette's embarrassment) and seemed have originated in the middle of his lower back. Riku absently traced a finger along one of the veiny lines on the teen's left buttock. "Does this hurt?"

Sora was blushing madly as Riku had forced him to lean over so he could get a look at whatever the heck the new lines were. So it took his brain an extra second to process that Riku had even asked him a question, especially since he's just now realizing how sensitive that whole area is when Riku has his hands there. "N-not there specifically...Everything hurts, but not because you're pushing on it." Now getting flustered as Riku's hands continued to linger, he swats at the silver-haired teen's hand so he'll get a move on. "Do you mind??"

"Oh, sorry," Riku chuckled, though he was clearly not sorry. He let Sora sit up straight again as he got to work rewrapping both his legs and his arm. Now it was time for the hard part. He wordlessly handed Sora the blindfold from the duffel bag and waited for him to obediently put it on before he carefully snipped at the bandages around his waist with a pair of safety scissors. The bandages fell heavily as he clipped through them, having clearly been soaked through and then some. Riku threw some gloves on this time before he risked lifting them to toss them to the eagerly waiting trash can. He'd been a little lax about wearing gloves lately, as there has usually been enough uncovered material for him to grasp safely while he removed it. But this was on a whole new level. Curiously, he crawled onto the bed to look at Sora's back before he continued and the bruising he observed from the other day had definitely gotten worse. The crystals were on the move and they were getting closer together. He wondered if this was the cause of the increase in darkness output, which would definitely explain Sora's temper today. "Hold still, Sora, I want to take a picture."

"Okay, but don't go sharing it around," Sora joked but then his voice turned sad when Riku didn't even bother responding. "It's that bad, huh?"

"I'm honestly not sure," Riku answered as he snapped a few pictures, the camera flashing several times as he got different close-ups of the bruises. When he finished and set the gummi phone aside, he cautiously traced the bruises with his fingers. "Let me know if it hurts."

"Hn...it's...definitely more tender there," Sora hissed through gritted teeth.

"Okay, bear with me for just a sec. I want to see if I can feel it," he requested as he gently probed the teen's lower back. He could definitely feel something, but it wasn't exactly what he expected. Instead of several small things, he felt at least three larger lumps under Sora's skin. As Sora winced and flinched, he did his best to double-check, but he was certain that there were three very distinct shapes on his lower back and they were clustered very close together. "Wait a minute, hold on," he grabbed his phone and flipped through it really quickly to where he kept his records of Sora's progress. He then pulled up the chart of the crystal locations that he's been updating and sure enough, there are supposed to be SEVEN crystals in that area and the locations of the three lumps don't coincide with the other positions at all. "Well...I got good news and bad news."

"Oh no...um...how about good news first?" Sora asked hesitantly as he stared into the black void of the blindfold.

"Good news, I think you'll only have to expel three stones from your lower back."

"Ah! Okay! That's something. What's the bad news?"

"The bad news is that there used to be seven. I'm pretty sure they've joined together to form these three. They might even try to join into one."

"Wait...they're joining together? What does that mean?"

"I think it means we have to start getting rid of these things a lot faster. But again, if they really are joining together, we can get rid of more at once."

"Right...right. We just need to think positive. I'm sure we can do it," Sora nods while his stomach growls angrily again. "Nnnn..."

"Don't worry, I'm sure we'll be done before the food gets here," Riku assured him while he begins wrapping new bandages around Sora's torso. Just then there was a knock on the door to announce the food has arrived.

"I can already smell it from heeeeeere!" the brunette whined impatiently while Riku hurries to wheel the cart of food in. "I'm gonna die," he pouted as his stomach growls again.

"You'll be fine. We're almost done. Sit up straight for me," he instructed as he kneels in front of Sora and carefully starts snipping away at the last of the bandages wrapped around his chest. Like the others, these were heavily saturated and felt weighted in his hands as he peeled them away and fed them to the trash can. When he finally peeled away the last layer, a black mist started immediately escaping from Sora's open chest wound.

Sora wasn't sure if it was from his chest being exposed to the open air or what, but somehow it felt like a weight had just been lifted off his chest, even more so than when the armor was removed and it caused him to gasp as he suddenly felt a very strange sensation in the middle of his chest. It felt cold and yet hot at the same time. His whole body began to shiver and clutched at the bedspread with both fists as he resisted the urge to feel his own chest to figure out what it was.

Riku meanwhile was fascinated and horrified at the same time. The large gash in Sora's chest was still the same size even though it looked like it was making better progress last week. The skin around it was even starting to look less scarred. But now the center of Sora's chest looked like somebody had dropped a giant blob of black paint on him as the skin around the gash was the color of ink and as it spread out about a diameter of six inches or so it faded into black lines that criss-crossed his chest and ribs until they faded in with the rest of his skin. In the open slit, Riku could now make out Sora's heart glimmering against the black more clearly than he ever had before. His own heart began to ache as he watched Sora's heart glimmer inside his chest like rubies in a nest of black velvet. It comforted him to see it shining so brightly but the alarming appearance of Sora's chest worried him very much. Curiously, he reached out to touch the area around Sora's scar to see if this new black stuff might rub off but a sharp inhale from Sora made him quickly retract his fingers.

"Ri...Riku..."

The elder teen looked up upon hearing his name to find Sora's head tilted slightly back with his mouth wide open and gasping as if in a silent scream. "Sora?"

"I...I feel strange," he managed to say. "Are you almost done?"

"Yeah, sorry, just one more minute," Riku answered as he snapped one more photo and quickly wrapped Sora back up, the black mist contained once more as he layered the gauze over the wound once again. "Okay, you're all done now."

"Phew...thanks, Riku," Sora sighed with relief and removed the blindfold. "Can I get dressed now?"

"Hmm...I dunno. I think I might want to inspect this a little more," Riku replied slyly as he snaked his arms around Sora to grasp both halves of his behind while also smothering any noises of protest by pressing his lips to his in a very long kiss.

Sora giggled furiously into the kiss while he squirmed against Riku's grip until he finally managed to pull away. "Very funny. I'll take the sweat pants with the big pockets, thanks."

Riku snickered and tossed him a fresh pair of boxers and the requested pants so the other can finally get dressed. While the teen tugged his clothes on, Riku pushed over the food trolley that was brought to them so they can enjoy a well-deserved meal.

After dinner, the exhausted duo decided to call it a night. After seeing that black mist escaping from around Sora's heart, Riku was extra concerned and decided extra cuddles were in order. So he wants to sleep as closely to Sora as he can. As he curls up against Sora and rests his head on his chest, Sora runs his fingers through Riku's hair, still feeling guilty about earlier but also slightly justified because he's now actually feeling so much better without that thing on, so there must be some merit to why he was freaking out about it earlier that evening. This was also very nice too, being the one to do the cuddling and serve as a human pillow for once. There was a different feeling of contentment when he has his arm wrapped around Riku and playing with his hair than the other way around. Both are very nice, but he was especially glad he could be the one to help Riku relax tonight. Just watching Riku's head slowly rise up and down while Sora breathed and listening to him sigh every now and then while he listened to Sora's heart just made Sora feel a happy sort of numbness that he welcomed very much. Riku's hair was so soft and the freshly cut strands delighted Sora's fingers as he focused on gently rubbing small circular patterns into the silver scalp. He found he was beginning to fall asleep to the sweet sounds of Riku murmuring in appreciation for the little scalp massage.

"Sora?" Riku asked quietly in case Sora had fallen asleep.

"Hm?" he hummed to let Riku know he was listening, but his eyes had already drifted closed.

"Did you mean what you said? That you didn't want to leave me behind? I mean, I'm not the only reason you're fighting, right?"

Sora opened his eyes and frowned as he considers the right way to answer him. As he stares up at the dark ceiling, he continued to stroke Riku's hair as he answered thoughtfully, "The Final World...it's the only one I haven't told you about."

"I'm not sure I want to know..." Riku muttered quietly, now starting to think he might regret using this line of questioning as pillow talk.

"Even before this happened," Sora continued, "I've seen it in my dreams. It's so beautiful...but I know I'd be lonely there while waiting for you."

"Hm?"

"I don't really understand it, but I was told that the final world is the final destination for those who have perished before they fade away. But those who still persist for whatever reason remain there and wait. I wouldn't mind waiting for you, and if the worst happens I'd want you to move on and continue to live happily. But I'd much rather be here with you, of course. Even if I'm stuck this way for the rest of my life, I'd treasure every second if I'm still able to spend it with you."

"Sora..."

"That's what kept me going, you know?" He paused briefly to let out a silent yawn. "Our hearts have always been tied together and nobody's ever been able to sever our connection. But it's not just that...I've given my heart to you, Riku. That's why they couldn't take it. I'd rather have died than let them have it. But I couldn't bear the thought of dying without having seeing you one last time. Having that moment in the graveyard be our last would have been my only regret. So I held on for as long as I could. When I heard music in my ears, I knew everything was going to be okay. Then you came and that's when I knew for sure that my heart was always meant to be with yours."

"I'm glad you continued to hold on after that. I wouldn't have wanted what happened to be our last moment either."

"Yeah, that would've been a real bummer, too."

They both chuckled and let out a collective sigh.

"I guess I only ask because I wanted to be sure you weren't only thinking about me. But I'm also glad you were. I don't know if that makes any sense," Riku tries to explain but he kind of trails off rather sleepily instead.

"No, I hear you. But I dunno...I've been prepared for hurt but I don't think it was ever meant to be something like this. I've even surprised myself with how much I've been able to take. But even though I know that hurting comes with caring about anything...I would like to stop hurting sometime, you know?" Now Sora was the one who was rambling with a bad case of the sleepies.

"Sora...about your question from earlier. I'm not blindfolding you for the reasons you were thinking of. I know you're strong and I believe in you with every fiber of my being, but I'm also afraid for you. I don't want it to be this way, but my heart is telling me it's the right thing to do because there's nothing I want more than to protect you...and to love you," Riku felt his cheeks turn pink as he said the last part but it was the truth. He had to trust that his heart wasn't steering him wrong in this.

"I love you so much, Riku. Believe me, I'm trying so hard to understand. But I don't think either of us can move on until we face the things that we fear the most. If anything, the secrets scare me even more. So what good does it do to put it off?"

"I wish I understood it myself..." Riku drawled as he felt sleep begin to claim him. "But...I have to believe...everything will be alright..." he muttered as he faded in to unconsciousness, too exhausted to stay awake any longer.

Sora listened to Riku fall asleep and decided not to push the issue any further tonight. But he's still pretty miffed and now _he_ can't sleep. He laid there for about an hour stewing in his own thoughts until he decided he needed to get some air so he carefully tried to separate from Riku. The elder teen made a noise of protest when he felt his human pillow move, but when Sora whispered about having to go to the bathroom, he politely released his grip and Sora was able to slip away. He didn't wear a shirt to bed and he already felt chilly so he grabbed one of the guest dressing robes and draped it over himself, not really bothering to close it after he slipped his arms through the sleeves. On the way out, he caught a glimpse of something sticking out of the pocket of his pants that were still hanging to dry and reached in to retrieve the music box Riku gifted him. Smiling fondly at the box and then at Riku, he slipped it into his pocket before quietly inching the bedroom door open and slipping out to wander around for a little bit.

It felt freeing to walk around without his chest plate for once. In fact he just now realized how long it's been since he's been able to go without it when Riku's not around. Wandering around without Riku did come at a heavy price, though, as his pain began to steadily increase with every step that took him further away from the sleeping keyblade master. He struggled to keep himself upright by bracing a hand against one of the walls and when he decided he was far enough away that Riku couldn't hear, he summoned his keyblade cane and used it to lean on so he could continue his stroll. He wasn't sure how late it was, but he could see his breath in the unheated hallways and the stars were glimmering brightly in the sky beyond the many windows that lined the halls. He took care to stay on the rug so the sounds of his footsteps and cane could be muffled as much as possible. Even in his bare feet, Sora felt very heavy-footed, but he did his best to walk as quietly as possible while he stared at the view of the frozen ocean gleaming beneath the light of the full moon. Said moon appeared very large tonight as it hung high amongst a glittering sea of tiny stars. He decided he wanted to get a better look and made his way to one of open balconies, again carefully sliding open the door as he slipped out.

Once safely outside, he ventures out to the railing to take in the spectacular view. It's cold out here, but in a refreshing way. When he feels a breeze approach, he closes his eyes and embraces it as it blasts through his body instead of shielding himself from it. He deeply inhales the salty sea air that somehow smells differently than it does back home. Maybe it's because he's never inhaled ice cold sea air before. Regardless, there was still a nostalgic scent to it and it comforted him even as it cooled his lungs and numbed his cheeks. He didn't even mind how cold his bare feet were or that his chest was still exposed because just being out there seemed to take the edge off of his pain and he was relishing every bit of it. As he kept his eyes closed, he focused on the sounds of the sea and noticed something else he hadn't heard before. The waves sounded the same, but there was an extra hollow-sounding crash at the end of each wave's crescendo. He opened his eyes and realized it was the sound of the waves beating against the ice that he was hearing. There was a beautiful sort of quiet chaos to the whole thing. If one were to watch closely, there was a lot going on: the waves crashing against the edges of the ice, the ice breaking apart as it resists, the ice crashing against itself, said pieces gently bumping into the sides of the docked ships, and so on. But even with all of that going on, the noise of the chaos was only noticeable if you took the time to stop and listen to its strange orchestra.

When he redirected his attention toward the stars, something in the way they twinkled in the clear night sky gave Sora the urge to open his music box. He reached into his pocket to retrieve it and just holding the small box brought a smile to his face that only broadened as he opened it. As the sweet melody of their heart song played and the scene of falling stars played over and over, Sora mused over the fact that each time he's opened Riku's gift he happened to be standing under a sky filled with stars. He giggled to himself as he playfully held the box up to the sky and imagined capturing said stars inside his treasured keepsake. The way the rotating disc stood straight up with its little punched star holes really did make it look like the stars from the sky were actually pouring into the little box and for a minute he imagined he was back home with Riku, sitting on that very same paopu tree to watch the stars falling through the sky. "Looking back now, it almost seems like a silly thing to be afraid of...even as a little kid," Sora chuckled to himself as he recalled the night Riku made him that sacred promise.

Just then, the sound of a sliding door interrupted Sora's thoughts and he hastily lowered his arms and closed the box, worried that he might've woken somebody up. When he turned to see who it was, he was surprised to see the queen standing there in a long plum-colored nightgown. "Elsa?"

"Sora? I sure didn't expect to see you out here. What are you doing out this late?" she asked as she joined him on the balcony and gently slid the door closed behind her.

"I'm sorry, I hope I didn't wake you. I just had a lot on my mind. Couldn't sleep," Sora explained sheepishly as he fiddled with the box in his hands.

"I was already awake. But I did hear something, so I came to see what it was. But again, I'm surprised to see you awake. Anna said you weren't even conscious when you and Master Riku came back today."

"Haha, yeah, sorry about that," he rubbed the back of his head. "I hope I didn't make you worry."

"Well, what matters is that you seem to be okay. But if I might ask, what has you so troubled that you'd walk out here like...this?" she indicated to his fully bandaged, half-dressed, and bare-footed state of dress.

"Uh!" Sora bowed his head apologetically while he quickly pocketed his music box so he can use both hands to fasten his borrowed robe properly. "I'm sorry, you shouldn't have had to see that," he apologized as his cheeks burned scarlet.

"No, wait. Can I see?" Elsa asked timidly as she took a step forward to stop him.

"Uh...I guess so, if you really want to. But there isn't really much to see. Riku has me wrapped up pretty tight," Sora glanced away as he lowered his hands from his robe.

"I'll only just be a second," she promised as she gently slid the front of Sora's robe open and glided her delicate fingers across the bandages crisscrossed over his chest.

Sora's spine shivered as he could feel how cold her fingers were even through the bandages. But like the chilly sea breeze, it wasn't a bad sort of cold either.

"I can feel it," she finally said. "You're badly wounded here. I can also feel the love that's been poured into these bandages. So many people care about you very deeply, Sora."

"Yeah...I know. I'm grateful to have so many wonderful people in my life..."

Elsa retracted her hand so Sora could close his robe properly. She then stared at him knowing there was an unfinished thought there. "But...?"

"But..." he tied up the robe and hesitated for a second, but when he looked at her expecting gaze he couldn't help caving. With a sigh, he asked, "Ever feel like you're suffocating, even if you're where you thought you've always wanted to be?"

"Actually, yes. I've been thinking about that a lot recently. Is this about Master Riku?" she asked gently as she joined him by leaning against the bannister as well.

"Well, we're together now and I'm so happy that we're adventuring side by side. But I also feel like I'm being smothered. Buuuuuuuut, I also feel like I'm being ungrateful or selfish if I disagree with what he says after all he's done for me."

"You're where you want to be, but at a price that you didn't want to pay. You feel restricted," she clarified for him.

"Exactly. Is that how you feel, too, Elsa?" Sora asked as he turned his attention away from the view to look at Elsa who had her arms wrapped around herself as she propped her elbows on the landing.

She looked at Sora and paused for a moment before she answered him, but she knew she could trust him to keep this moment between them. "I've spent most of my life locked away to protect the ones I love. I wanted nothing more to be with my family and to be a good queen to my people; to be accepted for who I am. But here I am and I still feel like I'm meant to be somewhere else." She turned her eyes back toward the sea to gaze at the land beyond it. "At night I'm even kept awake by a voice that's calling out to me. I don't know if it's real or if it's just in my head, but my heart is telling me to follow it. Then again..." She paused and her posture deflated as she stared down at the railing, unable to finish her sentence.

"Then again...You feel guilty...don't you?" Sora finished for her.

"It's also telling me that if I go, things may never go back to the way they were, for better or worse. I may not even be able to come back here. Could I really risk leaving Anna behind? She means the world to me," the troubled queen added, her cheeks slightly pink from embarrassment for having let her worries come out all at once.

Sora gave a small toothy grin as if to say no worries to ease her embarrassment. But his expression then turned thoughtful as he considered her dilemma. "I wish I had the answer for you. But I know how much Anna loves you. She'd want you to be happy, even if she can't be by your side. It'll be hard, but your bond can survive anything. You'll make it work. But from what I think you're saying...there's a risk, right? Maybe Anna should go with you. It might make it easier if she's there to support you."

"You really think so, Sora? What if she's disappointed or thinks I've given up and I'm just abandoning her?" the queen asked worriedly as she held her hands close to herself, a habit she developed so that she wouldn't accidently hurt anybody if she ever felt overwhelmed emotionally. 

"If you just keep your heart open and let her see...I think she'll understand. Maybe not right away, but she will. And once you find your happiness, she'll share in it with you," Sora assured her with a sincere smile.

Elsa lowered her hands and smiled back at Sora. "I think you're right. As for you, what does your heart want?"

"Wellllll, here's what happened..." Sora explained his current disagreement with Riku regarding whether or not Sora should be allowed to see himself or at least be allowed to decide when he wants to take his armor off, how he originally agreed to go along with it but now something's telling him that it may be doing more harm than good. "I know Riku and I are both following our hearts, but they're saying different things," he concluded with a huff while he pulls out the music box again to let it play.

Elsa couldn't help but smile as she heard the music box play. She could tell by how Sora gazed at it that the melody must mean something very special to him. "Just because hearts are in tune doesn't mean they have to sing the same notes, Sora. For there to be harmony, both sides have to be heard. I think you should follow your own advice too. Open your heart to Riku and make sure he does the same. Truly listen to each other. Your hearts may be saying different things, but they both want what's best...so maybe both of you are right. Listen and follow what both your hearts have to say."

Sora let out a small chuckle, "I think you're right, Elsa. Thank you. I hope you'll find your true happiness as well." He then blinked in confusion as he quickly recalled what she said. "Wait, when you said you were hearing a voice, did you mean...?"

"Yes," she answered with a tiny hint of irritation in her voice, unsure whether Sora was going to make fun of her or not. "A voice. That's why I came out here. I thought I was hearing it again, but it turned out to be your music box."

"Wait, I'm curious. What does the voice actually say?" Sora asked maybe a little too eagerly.

Elsa raised an eyebrow and gave him a sideways glance, but the teen's infectious enthusiasm got to her. "It doesn't really say anything," she explained as she straightened up from the railing. "It sounds more like singing."

Sora's sapphire eyes lit up, "It does? What's it singing?"

Elsa was in trouble now. Those child-like wonder in his eyes reminded her too much of how Anna used to look at her whenever she begged her to build a snowman. "Do you really want to know?" she asked.

"Uh-huh!" Sora answered as he nodded enthusiastically with the tiniest of bounces on the balls of his feet.

"Well, usually it sounds like Aaaaah ah aah aaahhhhhhh~" she vocalized and then gestured vaguely with her hand toward the wooded area across the way. "And it comes from somewhere out there."

Like a doofus, Sora actually looked toward the area where she gestured, not realizing she wasn't being literal. But something did catch his eye in that direction near the edge of the frozen sea...a dark shadow of a figure. "Wait...is that..." Sora said out loud as he swore the figure in the distance was pointing directly at him. His eyes widened in realization and he quickly looked down to see a red dot glowing on his chest. "ELSA, GET DOWN!" Sora shouted and grabbed her to throw them both to the ground just as a loud zap rang past their ears with a loud crack to follow as the awning of the balcony began to collapse on top of them.

"Sora!" Elsa shouted as she pushed herself out from beneath him and summoned a wall of ice to deflect the falling debris.

"Nice one!" Sora praised and helped her stay low as Sora forced the door open to get Elsa back inside. "Elsa, find Riku and don't let anybody leave this castle. Get everybody on high alert! I'm going after him!"

"But Sora!!" Elsa cried out as she tried to stop him from going back out there. "Shouldn't you wait for--" She froze mid-sentence as she suddenly witnessed Sora's body turn completely black as he deftly climbed over the balcony railing with traces of neon blue in his wake as he jumped to the ground three stories below. "Sora!!" she panicked and rushed to an open window to see the shadow-like form of Sora make chase on all fours across the frozen sea. "SORA, WAIT!!"


	21. A Dance with the Devil, A Waltz with our Swords

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sora dances with the devil in the pale moon light...ON ICE!
> 
> It's a race to save Sora as he fends off an old foe who just keeps shoving his face where it isn't wanted.

"Master Riku!" Princess Anna startled Riku with the volume of her voice. At making the young man jump, she winced sympathetically and quiets her voice to a whisper, "I'm sorry, I just didn't expect to see you up this late. Are you out for a stroll?"

Riku had stirred from his sleep because he noticed a certain body of warmth had been missing for a while. As to how long, he wasn't entirely sure. He just remembered Sora whispering about needing to use the restroom and he must've fallen back asleep right away. All he knew is that it was long enough for the bed to feel cold again so he hurried to get dressed so he could have a look around. He wasn't really up to wandering the castle in his pajamas, unlike what Sora had clearly done, seeing as how his clothes were still hanging by the fireplace. He had only just closed the bedroom door behind him when the princess called his name very enthusiastically from behind him and nearly scared him half to death. After he let out a sigh of relief he answered her highness, "If only. Sora seems to have wandered off."

"Oh! So he's okay! That's good!" she smiled happily pulling her shawl closer around her shoulders with one hand while clutching a small candle stand in the other. The tiny flame's light danced along the walls with a soft glow, though her cheery disposition seems to brighten the hallway more than her candle ever could. In the dim light, Riku could see she appeared to be in her night clothes and slippers.

"Mm...," Riku hummed while awkwardly rubbing the back of his head.

"Is that not a good thing?" Anna asks, her smile faltering slightly.

"He said he was just getting up to use the bathroom, but that was a while ago," Riku answered quietly. He was trying not to let on how hurt he was but Anna kept looking at him with a face very similar to Sora's; a face that knows there's more to it so he should spill the rest already. Now that he was feeling more awake, he was beginning to realize he was more than just concerned. "I'm not used to him lying to me," he added.

"Maybe he didn't realize one was attached to your room and actually went to find one. You're sleeping in a new place. It's only natural to get disoriented, especially if you're sleepy."

"Yeah. Maybe."

"He couldn't have wandered off too far. If he did, the guards would have seen him. Don't worry, we'll find him. I'm looking for Elsa, too. We can search together."

"Why are you looking for her this late?"

"Well, I wanted to check on her. I know she's had trouble sleeping. Probably a lot on her mind. Today, especially. So I thought I'd lend her an ear if she needed it. But she wasn't in her room."

"Is that so? Wonder if they ran into each other?"

"That could be. This whole floor runs in a giant square. If we keep walking, we'll find them."

"And if they're on a different floor?"

"Well, then our legs will get a good workout," Anna giggles.

Riku chuckles at her bubbliness, "Or we should probably just turn back and wait."

"Oh, you're right. Knowing my luck, Elsa would come back while I'm looking for her," Anna admitted, earning a smirk from Riku. She and Sora are definitely cut from the same cloth.

They started walking with Anna holding the candle out in front of them to light the way. Riku stayed sort of close beside her so he could stay in the pool of light, afraid of accidently bumping into something as the hallways were decorated with a lot of expensive-looking things. He wouldn't consider himself a klutz by any means, but any place with giant vases full of flowers perched on tiny one-legged tables is just asking for it in his opinion and he didn't want any part of it if he can avoid it.

The two walked in silence for not even a minute before Anna spoke up again, "Master Riku, I don't mean to pry...but what you said about not being used to Sora lying to you. Why do you think Sora would even lie about such a thing?"

"Uh...I dunno...I guess...I have this feeling that he wanted to be alone. Maybe he feels like I wouldn't have given him his space."

"Maybe he has a lot on his mind, too. I bet he just didn't want to hurt your feelings or make you worry."

"Yeah, but it's weird...this is something I probably would've done a while back," he gave a slight chuckle at the irony.

"Trust me, I know a thing or two about being kept in the dark. I've been shut out of Elsa's life for a very long time up until recently."

"Really? But the two of you seem so close?"

"Well you see..." She tells Riku all about what she told Sora, about how the two had to grow up separately from a young age because their family thought Elsa's powers had to be kept secret from her in order to protect her. "And it's funny, when Sora came back to visit the last time, he told us about a certain childhood friend who did something very similar." She winked at Riku. "Somebody he cared about very much who shut him out to protect him."

"He did, huh?"

"So trust me when I say that I'm sure he didn't mean to hurt your feelings."

"I'm sure you're right...but..." he paused. What the princess said did make a lot of sense. He stopped walking for a second to smile at her in silent thanks.

She smiled right back, happy to see that Riku seems to have cheered up. But then she raised a finger, "BUT, don't take that to mean that you shouldn't worry about him either. I mean, the guy is hurt and can barely walk, he shouldn't be wandering around on his own!"

Riku clamped a hand over his mouth in an attempt to stifle his laughter. The two of them laughed quietly for a moment before resuming their walk. Riku did feel better, and even though he's still a little peeved about Sora wandering off on his own, he also considers how it feels to be in the dark where Sora is concerned for once. It feels bad to be on the receiving end of the deception, even if it's only a little white lie. Compared to the big secret he's keeping from Sora, it's nothing at all. Then again, like Anna said, the two aren't the same thing. Sora took a big risk wandering around on his own and it shouldn't be taken lightly.

_"Aaaaaaaaah ah aah ahhhhhhhhhh~"_

"Oh hey! That's Elsa! She must be over on the balcony. It's just this way!" Anna picks up the pace and waves for Riku to follow her.

"That was the queen? Wow, she can really belt it," Riku commented but also keeping his observations to himself about how neither sister seem to care about the volume of their voices in the dead of night.

But just before they were about to turn around the corner, the two of them heard an explosion of splintering wood and Riku instinctively grabbed Anna to yank her back. As he shielded her from any potential flying debris, a cold blast of wind came down the hallway. A clear sign that something had blasted through from outside. Before they could even figure out what just happened, they hear Queen Elsa cry out for Sora and they break into a run toward the source of the noise only to see Elsa running towards them. 

"Master Riku! Anna!"

"Your Majesty! Are you alright?" Riku ran up to her and gave her a once-over. She seemed unhurt, despite the state of the now collapsed balcony. 

"Elsa! What happened??" Anna hurried to her sister, gently clutching her shoulders.

"I'm fine!" Elsa said firmly, to reassure both herself and Anna. It seemed to work, because she stopped trembling and stood straighter to speak to Riku, "Riku! Sora's gone after the man who just attacked us! You and I have to go after him. Anna, I need you to put the guard on full alert. Put the castle on full lockdown mode and make sure everybody stays inside! Do you understand?"

"I'm on it!" Anna nodded obediently and ran off to alert the guards who had just come running at the sound of the explosion. She quickly gave them their orders and she left with them to assist.

"Your majesty, I think you should--" Riku spoke up, but was interrupted mid-sentence as the queen waved her hands and caused another blast of cold wind, though this time it was to materialize a different outfit for herself which appeared to be an ice-blue jump suit with a matching long tunic over it.

"Master Riku! The ice is treacherous. You're going to need my help. Let's go!" she commanded and ran for the hole in the wall where the balcony used to be while she hastily tied her hair up in a ponytail.

"Yes, your majesty!" Riku hurried after her and both jumped down to make chase after Sora. Riku landed on his feet while Elsa swooped down on a slide of ice. Once they both made it down to the ground, they raced for the frozen sea where Sora can be seen as a black dot in the distance.

. . .

Sora is sprinting his way across the frozen sea, the ice shifting and popping chaotically under his feet. Occasionally a shelf of ice would shudder so hard that he would teleport to the next one, never once breaking his pace as he dashed towards Xigbar. The villain _was_ waiting for him on the opposite shore but decided to meet him halfway and the two began clashing weapons in the center.

"Nice maneuver back there with the queen. Glad to see you're still at the top of your game. I was worried that we broke you!" Xigbar took a moment to observe Sora's appearance. The bathrobe was barely hanging onto his thin frame and his bandages have all disappeared, leaving his now-tinted blue wounds exposed. Everything else about him had turned black as night and instead of his normal sapphire-colored eyes, there were glowing orange orbs of light, all inset on an expressionless face. His borrowed robe fluttered in the icy wind, now looking torn on the bottom and his sweat pants had the same blue insignias that his combat clothes would usually have. To add to his unsettling appearance, his feet were not only bare, but everywhere he stepped he left behind what appeared to be bloody footprints. In fact, he left streaks of red wherever his hands or feet touched.

"What's with the get-up, kiddo? Oh, my bad. I guess it _is_ the middle of the night. Still, I didn't think I'd catch you in your pajamas!" the sniper cackled in amusement as he deflected Sora's initial blow. "You should be careful though, kid, you'll catch your death out here."

Sora back-flips onto a shelf of ice where he should have landed rather unsteadily as it had already separated from the others, but in this form it was almost as if he were weightless.

"Is that even really you under there, kid? I've seen this look before, but not up close. You look like hell." He grinned and narrowed his amber eye at Sora but was disappointed when he didn't receive a reaction. Instead the teen's dark form remained expressionless as he disappeared from view only to reappear behind Xigbar and slash at his back ferociously with the keyblade. As Sora sent Xigbar flying facedown into the ice, he switches his grip to back hand and comes down with it, ready to impale it into the assailant's back.

Xigbar landed hard but he quickly teleports away just as Sora was about to sheathe the keyblade into his spine. He appears in the sky again, rubbing the side of his face from where it dragged across the rough ice when he landed. "Come on, Sora! If I didn't know any better, I'd say you were mad at me!"

Sora did impale the ice with his keyblade, but then he used it as a pole to whip himself around and back up at Xigbar, ready to slash at his face with his clawed hand only for the slippery serpant to teleport away again and aim a few shots at him from behind. "Too slow!"

Sora might have missed, but he used the keyblade as a counterweight to throw himself in mid-air again, twisting upside down and spiraling downwards to avoid the shots which hit the ice and further splintered it apart, the released water underneath gushing out like a geyser before landing with loud splatters on the uneven ice.

"HA! Glad to see you're still kicking, kid! Now let's see if you can dance!" he shouted as he readied a wall of lasers all around Sora and unleashes a barrage of white hot beams at the teen. Sora dodges and teleports much as he can before throwing up a dark barrier, his hands streaking blood through the air as he braced himself against the bombardment. When the onslaught ended, black tendrils of smoke issued like steam from where he had been hit before he managed to dodge. Xigbar cackled at the sight of Sora, who is now surrounded by much smaller platforms of ice for him to stand on.

The keyblade wielder straightened up, his body shuddering from the effort but if he was in pain, it didn't show on his face. He then threw his keyblade at Xigbar for a counter-attack but narrowly missed the sniper, whose shit-eating grin lessened as he seemed to have become unsettled by the teen's glowing gaze once his keyblade had returned to him after a rather showy flip through the air before catching it. "I know you told me I should stop talking, but what can I say, Sora? You're just so interesting!" He tapped his weapon against his shoulder as he hovered above him. "You know, it's funny, you made an adorable nobody, but from the looks of it you'd make one spooky heartless. I'm kind of impressed. So how is Roxas anyway?"

Sora suddenly lunged up at him and Xigbar instinctively teleported away to dodge it but he was totally faked out because Sora had teleported the same time he did in a flash of black mist and appeared again right behind him, his mouth open in a silent scream as he brought his leg around 180 degrees to kick Xigbar across the side of his head. The blow sent him careening to the side and he landed on his knees on an ice platform, one hand clutching the edge while another clutched his weapon so that he didn't go skidding off and into the water.

"Ha!" Xigbar cackled as he twisted his head side to side to pop his neck obscenely. "You're right, never mind him. How about you? You gave us quite the slip a while back. We thought you were dead!" Before he could blink, Sora was right in front of him, slashing away with fury! He blocked another blow from Sora and then another and another, hopping from one ice chunk to the other while the teen teleported and slashed at him from every angle he possibly could, not just with the keyblade but with his hands and feet as well. Streaks of red and black flew across the field of ice as Sora pursued his assailant, only to be blocked and dodged at every attempt. "Hope you've been a good boy and taking care of that heart of yours. We still have some unfinished business with you!" Xigbar continued, trying to see what it would take to push Sora's buttons.

Once again, Sora said nothing, so he teleported once again really high up in the air this time. He then hears something crackling in the distance and glances over to see Queen Elsa and Riku making their way towards them on the ice. Elsa was shooting a steady stream of ice in front of her and dodging high waves and cracking ice shelves while Riku was standing behind her, gently holding her steady by her waist while performing flowmotion for the both of them. The two worked as a team, Riku providing the speed and the steering while Elsa kept the ice track going and giving them a ground to stand on. The ice was cracking and shifting violently with the sea constantly threatening to pelt them with water, which she froze in mid-air while she passed lest the water ruin their footing or cause them harm with how frigid it is. In freezing weather, the worst thing you can do is get hit with cold water.

"Oh look, the queen and your boyfriend are on their way! Don't I feel popular all of a sudden?" He sneered as he saw them approaching at an impressive speed. "Have you jumped on that yet, by the way? Of course you have. You'd be crazy not to! He IS a master after all. Quite the catch~ In fact, you could say the Master has his eye on him as well."

He was so busy listening to himself talk, he didn't notice a flash of red above Sora's head or the second one that followed it. He only had his head turned for maybe two seconds, but that was all Sora needed. By the time he glanced back, Sora was leaping up into the air with his arms spread wide, portals of darkness surrounding him just above the ice. From within rose large orbs of darkness drenched with orange spikes. Xigbar didn't even have a chance to clench his jaw in fear before wave after wave of spikes exploded from the orbs. Even when he tried to teleport away to dodge the spikes, the orbs launched themselves at him to upset his balance so that he got showered with a fair amount of strikes.

When it all cleared up, Xigbar was clinging onto a sheet of ice for dear life, nearly going vertical as he clung to the edge one-handed. He growled with disdain as he saw the keyblade master and queen approaching closer and decided he was done playing around. With one last hurrah, he took to the sky again, hanging halfway out a darkness portal to aim two guns this time at Sora, determined to obliterate any ice to further corner and trap the teen who bounced around frantically to avoid the raining lasers only to figure out too late that they weren't all being aimed at him. Before he realized it, he only had about 25 square feet of room to stand while he was surrounded by nothing more than slush.

"I've waited centuries for someone to come along that would capture the master's attention. Now here you are. It's almost a shame, though. I think I'm gonna miss you, kid." The former organization member launches five of his signature blue missiles that bounce mid-air to come at Sora from all directions. Once again, Sora puts up a dark barrier to deflect them, but while he's distracted, Xigbar swoops down on him from above, grabbing Sora by the face and forcing him to fall flat on his back as he lands on top of him.

The enraged teen flails wildly while Xigbar has him pinned down on the small ice platform by his face. He scratches at the man and kicks wildly with his legs with his mouth open in a silent scream, blood streaking everywhere as his limbs do everything they can to throw him off. Xigbar doesn't seem to pay the slashes any mind, though, instead he just grips Sora's face harder, lifts it, and shoves it back down, slamming the back of his head into the ice. He firmly holds his head there and squeezes as if to warn Sora what would happen if he dared to move again. It wasn't enough to deter the dark form, so Xigbar shoved his knee into his stomach to knock the wind out of him. The teen's legs went limp, his mouth open in an expressionless gasp as his hands continued to swipe weakly at Xigbar's chest. The cloaked man rolled his eyes and proceeded to use his other hand to grip Sora's throat and keep him pinned down that way so he can free up his other hand. Orange orbs stared up at the pony-tailed man as his victim began clutching at his wrist in an effort to pry him off while he increased the strength of his grip to cut off his oxygen until he became more compliant. "There, now settle down and let me have a good look at you." He didn't have much time as he could already hear Riku and Elsa fast approaching, signaled by Riku's shouting for him to release Sora. With his free hand, he shoved the front of Sora's robe aside to peer at the wound on his chest that had caught the sniper's attention earlier. The other scars on Sora's body were glowing blue but the gash was illuminated with a fine red mist. Xigbar took that to mean that Sora must not have fully recovered from when the master attempted to extract his heart and separate it from him. The temptation was too great. He inserted two fingers into the wound and pried it further apart, earning more thrashing movements from his still silent victim that threatened to buck him off as his squirming violently rocked the delicate slab of ice that they were on. But it only took an extra half second for him to realize that Sora's heart...wasn't there.

"Where is it!?" he shouted in frustration as he extracted his fingers and gripped the front of Sora's robe with both hands and forcefully pulled him up to get right all up in his face. "Where is your heart?" he demanded as he shook him by his lapels. "If you don't tell me where it is right now, I'm going to have to assume you don't have one. And if that's the case, we're going after your handsome little boyfriend next!"

Sora didn't take too kindly to that threat and answered by shoving a ball of darkness straight into Xigbar's face! The man screamed in agony and was forced to let Sora go, stumbling as he forgot where he was in his panic. This gave Sora enough of an opening to lunge at him and send him straight through the icy slush and into the mercilessly cold sea. But at the last second, Xigbar grabbed him by the end of his robe and dragged him down with him.

In the seemingly never-ending void of pitch blackness beneath, Sora became very disoriented. He flailed fruitlessly through the murky water, unable to swim while in this form. Xigbar used a portal of darkness to get away like the coward that he is. But Sora was too panicked to do anything but dash upwards, only to hit the underside of the ice over and over. He clawed and slashed as hard as he could, but his movements were too slow and weak while under water and had no effect.

But just as his body began to scream for air, the ice suddenly shoved itself away and another large pillar of ice materialized out of nowhere to shoot him out of the water where he landed rather unceremoniously onto a much more stable patch of ice, just a few feet away from Riku and Elsa who have finally caught up just in time to make the rescue.

_Riku..._

_Riku..._

For the entire encounter, Sora felt he was there, but not there at the same time. His mind was sort of there, but his heart definitely wasn't. While in this form, his heart hides. Where, exactly, he wasn't sure. But he guessed it was somewhere near the realm of sleep, maybe even in the space between. All he knows for sure is that his mind retreats inside itself so that he feels like he's descending through water. When he opens his eyes, he's in the dark, but the floor is lit. It was almost like being in the station of awakening, but this time it was a little chilly and the floor was like a clear sheet of ice. When he peers down, he can see his rage form on the other side. But it wasn't a reflection. When he moved, the dark form of himself moved much differently. It was more like he was vaguely guiding his own movements while being separate from it all. His mind skating on the edge of waking and sleeping while his body fought almost entirely on its own by pure instinct, driven by nothing but the will to live. Whatever Xigbar was saying couldn't even reach him on this side of Sora's reality. All he could really hear was muffled. He couldn't even feel the pain that was probably being inflicted upon himself right now.

Looking around on the glass-like surface of the ice, he saw puddles of inky black that moved and bubbled and threatened to grab at him if he dared step too close. But as the battle wore on and his rage form used its power, the puddles began disappearing. He wasn't sure what to make of it, but he did know that it was a welcome sight and he couldn't help gliding across the ice lazily as rage form continued to fight below him. While Sora spun playfully, Rage Form was slashing at Xigbar. When Sora did a backflip, Rage Form kicked Xigbar across the face! This was kind of fun!

Until Xigbar mentioned Roxas.

Sora tried to ignore the taunting voice that started to become clearer and began skating faster to try and get away, meanwhile the vision of his counterpart going at Xigbar continued to project under his feet.

_Just ignore him. Just finish him off already! I'll end this now before he can hurt anybody else!_

But Xigbar wouldn't stop talking. One name rang clear through the dark.

_Riku..._

"NO!" he screamed through the dark. The ice cracking under his feet. "DON'T YOU DARE SAY HIS NAME!"

The ground shook beneath him and Sora stumbled to one knee before he catching himself with his hands. He looked behind him to see cracks in the floor getting longer and longer as if chasing after him. He had to make a run for it! He started gliding as if on skates as fast as he could through the dark while trying to escape the cracks that threatened to make the floor give way and who knows what lies beneath it? All he could see was himself getting pummeled into the ice. The ground gave another hard shake and another, and then the dark space started getting darker.

Xigbar's threatening voice started coming in loud and clear as he sprinted with all his might through the dark.

"Where is it!? If you don't tell me...we're going after your handsome little boyfriend next!"

_Shut up...Shut up shut up SHUT UP! I'LL KILL YOU IF YOU DON'T SHUT UP!_

"JUST DIE!!!!!!" Sora shouted with intense hatred through the void just as his rage form shoved a glowing orb of darkness into the man's already scarred face.

It was just then that the floor did give out from underneath Sora...just as he fell through the ice too. He felt himself sinking even deeper.

_Riku...stay away from Riku..._

But just as he thought all was lost, another sheet of ice pulled Sora up from the depths once again. He was rescued??

"SORA!"

_Riku!_

He smiled broadly as he heard the other's voice echo through the empty darkness like a far away church bell. He made a step to go towards the sound, but something stopped him.

_Wait...Xigbar's still out there._

_Xigbar's still here._

_I'm not done._

Sora grit his teeth with a newfound resolve and began running, skating and sliding through the ice as fast as he possibly can while his lungs heaved. Below him, his doppelganger dashed on all fours as they raced towards the same goal. He won't let Xigbar escape!

. . .

"Sora!" Riku called out to his friend who had just been shot out of the water by Elsa's magic. The injured teen was clearly disoriented so he approached with caution while Elsa made quiet work of stabilizing the ice to give them a more solid surface to walk on. "Just hang on, Sora, I'm coming!"

"Please, be careful!" Elsa pleaded as she fought against the rolling sea that kept threatening to crack the ice again. She was frightened for both of them, but mostly Sora as he had just gotten very wet and would no doubt succumb to hypothermia if they didn't get him someplace warm quick!

"Sora..." Riku approached slowly. Having seen what Sora was capable of in this form, he didn't want to startle him into running off or they might not get another chance to catch him.

But suddenly a gunshot rang through the air as a laser zapped the ice next to Sora, startling him into an offensive stance.

Riku whipped around in the direction of the shot. Xigbar had gone further out and was clearly getting ready to aim another shot. Enraged, Riku shouted, "YOU MOTHERFU--"

"RIKU! Sora's running away!" Elsa shouted and redirected Riku's attention back to teen who had resumed his pursuit of the former Organization XIII member.

"SORA! STOP!" Riku pleaded and made chase with Elsa following close behind. Sora was just too fast for them, though, as he was able to dash from ice flume to ice flume effortlessly while the keyblade master and ice queen each made their own ice tracks to follow him.

"We can't let him go on like this! He'll freeze to death!" Elsa shouted over the rushing wind and the sounds of crystalizing ice.

"We'll have to box him in!" Riku shouted as they started gaining on Sora's tail. "Or we'll have to push him towards land! We can't risk letting him fall in again!"

"Right! I got you!" Elsa shouted back. "You take this side!" she shouted and she and Riku switched sides while she pulled ahead. While keeping her feet as steady as possible as she glided along the ice, she bent over with her hands trembling in a gripping motion and slowly raised them above her head. From the sea rose a wall of ice that threatened to encase Xigbar but he wasn't having any of it and loaded both his weapons to shoot at the wall with everything he had. The wall broke right down the middle and began to collapse. As it came crashing down, Xigbar realized what he had done and made his escape through the dark portal while the large chunks of ice came down and caused a giant rippling effect on the ice that they were all skating on. It all broke apart violently and rose in a huge wave that sent ice and sea water barreling towards them.

Elsa made chase after the ensuing destruction and threw up wall after wall of ice to absorb the splashing sea water while redirecting Sora towards the shore with Riku following not too far behind him. But just as they thought they were making progress, Sora made a hard right, again, away from the shore. As Riku shouted after him, Elsa had decided enough was enough and stomped on the frozen sea, sending a pillar of solid ice shooting out of the water right below Sora to send him flying into the woods!

"SORA!" Riku shouted after him as he heard several tree branches snap from the sounds of Sora's descent. He was in so much disbelief he didn't even have enough brain capacity to scold Elsa for being too rough as he spent the last of his energy air stepping through the trees to search for Sora!

"Oof...maybe that was a little too hard..." Elsa winced sympathetically before running after them.

Sora crashed through many a branch before landing in a snowdrift which cushioned the fall for his limp body. He managed to pull himself up into a sitting position just as a certain precious keepsake tumbled out of his pocket and fell open in the snow. The melody of their two destined hearts sang through the wood and filled Sora's ears with their comforting notes. He had to keep going...Xigbar was going to hurt Riku...but...He promised. With that thought in mind, his body submitted and he fell back into the snow.

Riku was prepared to tear every tree apart as he hopped from branch to branch while desperately calling Sora's name. "SORA!! SORA!!" For a minute or two, the only other sounds he could hear were coming from behind him as Elsa joined in shouting out Sora's name too while she looked from the ground. But then he heard something a few feet away and looked just in time to see a flash of red and white light. "SORA! Elsa, I think I found him!" he shouted as he hopped to the ground and ran through the remaining trees with Elsa not too far behind. He could very clearly hear their heart song playing through the otherwise still air and followed its call desperately, his lungs burning as he practically ignored the need to breathe with every fiber of his being focused on getting to Sora as fast as possible. Finally, he came across the teen laying seemingly lifeless on his back in the snow with the music box playing right next to him.

"Sora!" he choked, his throat hoarse from shouting his name as he gathered him up in his arms. "Sora! Say something!" he pleaded. "Come on, you can't do this to me twice in one day. Open your eyes, damnit!" In a desperate attempt to warm him up, he stripped off his jacket and wrapped Sora in it. "Come on...come on..." he whispered as he rubbed Sora's arms up and down. "If you don't wake up, I'm canceling our date!" he threatened jokingly, if only to keep himself from tearing up.

"Noooooo..." Sora whined as he stirred, his eyes slowly fluttering open. "I wanted to try the pretzels..."

"Sora..."

"Yeah, Riku?"

"WHAT THE HELL DO YOU THINK YOU WERE DOING!?" Riku shouted as he shook Sora rather roughly.

"Master Riku...?" Elsa reached a hand out in concern, legitimately wondering if Riku's completely lost it.

"AAAAHH!! SHAKEN SORA SYNDROME! SHAKEN SORA SYNDROME!" Sora shouted in protest as Riku rattled the daylights out of him.

"YOU'LL BE MORE THAN SHAKEN WHEN I'M DONE WITH YOU! You'll be shaken AND stirred!" Riku threatened between gritted teeth as he finally let up.

"W-what does that even mean?" Sora asked as his eyes rolled back into his head.

"I don't know, but you can bet your ass I'll figure it out as soon as I get you back inside!" Riku huffed and grabbed Sora's hand to yank him out of the snow and get him to his feet.

Sora yelped, grabbing the music box and quickly putting it safely into his pocket as Riku lifted him into a standing position. "But Riku--!"

"But nothing!"

"Would you just listen to--"

"NO!"

"BOTH OF YOU, STOP IT RIGHT NOW!" Elsa commanded.

Both stood at attention obediently and so did the rest of the woods apparently as everything became deathly quiet.

"Now then," Elsa frowned with her arms crossed. "Let's save the bickering for when we get back. We need to get you both inside immediately before you freeze."

"ACHOO!" Sora sneezed and sniffled loudly. He had Riku's jacket on, but his hair was still damp and his feet were still bare and in the snow.

"What's the quickest way back from here?" Riku asked.

"Well, we might be better off just starting a fire to warm up and signal for somebody to pick us up and take us back because I don't think there are any houses that are very close by, at least not that we can walk to before Sora here turns into a popsicle."

"Uh...guys..." Sora looked up to see hundreds of little yellow eyes glowing in the dark tree canopies above. "We might want to get moving..."

"SHIT! RUN!" Riku shouted at the other two, summoning Braveheart and quickly activating his shotlock to send a barrage of dark firaga spells at their would-be assailants.

Sora grabbed Elsa's hand and tried to run with her through an opening in the wall of heartless but it closed up again too quickly. Soon they were surrounded on all sides, with Riku and Sora guarding Elsa between them.

"Guess we're fighting our way out!" Sora said determinedly as he summoned his keyblade.

"I'll fight too!" Elsa stepped up.

"Alright, together!" Riku shouted over the din of skittering heartless. "On three!"

"THREE!" Sora shouted and all three began launching their attacks at once.

"BURN!" Riku shouts threateningly as he sends wave after wave of Dark Firaga at the incoming heartless.

"I CALL FORTH WINDS!" Sora shouted, summoning a miniature twister. "Elsa!" he reached out for her and she grabbed his hand which he used to throw her up into the cyclone.

As she soared higher into the air, Elsa spread both arms to the side and blasted ice and snow from her palms with the force of a high-pressure firehose in both directions while the cyclone rotated her around, "BACK OFF!"

"Nice one, Elsa!" Sora cheered. As soon as the cyclone disappeared he held his arms out and caught her as smoothly as a professional cheerleader with a high-five to boot.

"RAAAAAAAAAH!" Riku was roaring out his battle cry as he zipped back and forth with blinding speed, knocking out heartless by the handful with broad slashes of his large keyblade.

"Haha!" Sora was just having too much fun. "I know, everybody hop on!" he shouted as he raised his keyblade into the air and summoned a carousel of lights. Each of them saddled on a white horse and spun around faster and faster, music filling the air as they drove in heartless only to send them out flying again as they spun with impossible speed. "WOOHOO!!"

When the ride disappeared after about fifteen seconds, both the Queen and Riku were exceptionally dizzy, but Sora seemed completely unfazed.

"How did he--?" Elsa tried to ask.

"I dunno, that was a first for me too!" Riku shrugged though he also couldn't help grinning proudly, even as unbelievably weird that all was.

"Let's bring it home, Riku!" Sora shouted.

"Alright. Together!" Riku grabbed Elsa and rushed over to where Sora was standing. From there, keeping her safely behind them, they performed their team attack Session. With a flurry of blades and a myriad of explosions, no heartless were left once they were through.

Now that the coast was clear, the three took a second to catch their breath, Sora most of all as he stuck his keyblade into the snow and leaned heavily on it. "That...that was fun," he panted. "I dunno about you, but I'm sure warmed up now."

"While that was certainly thrilling, where did they all come from?" Elsa asked. "I've certainly had my fill of adventure for tonight."

_Without that armor, Sora's heart left uncontained would become even more of a beacon for heartless._

Yen Sid's words of warning echoed through his head as he glanced over at Sora. "Oh no..."

"Riku?" Sora caught the older teen staring.

"We need to get moving now," Riku stated and grabbed Sora's hand, making his way to walk them out of the woods this very instant.

"Alright," Sora skedaddled as Riku dragged him along. "But--AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!"

"Sora!" Riku nearly fell over as Sora suddenly collapsed to his knees and nearly brought the other down with him as he curled up into a ball. "Sora! What's wrong?"

"Ggh...aghh...haaa...aaaaah...!!" Sora cried out in pain as he tried to shrink himself into an even smaller ball with his nails digging into his own arms. "It's my leg! It's coming out of my leg!"

"What's coming out of his leg?" Elsa asked in alarm.

"It's that stuff that's inside of him!" Riku quickly explained as he tried to get Sora back on his feet. "The stuff that King Mickey wrote to you about."

Her eyes lit up in understanding. "Right! What should we do?"

"AAAAAAAAAGHHHHHH!!!" Sora clutched his left thigh and nearly stumbled again, but Riku kept a tight grip on him.

"Breathe, Sora! Breathe! You're alright, I got you!" Riku encouraged. "I mean normally this doesn't last for very long, otherwise I'd just let things take its course, but this seems worse than usual."

"MAKE IT STOPPPP!!!!!" Sora pleaded, tears streaming down his face as he grew paler by the second.

"Oh gosh!" Elsa's hands flew to her face as she struggled to keep it together. Just seeing Sora in pain nearly brought her to tears as well.

Overwhelmed and feeling helpless, Riku felt there was nothing else to do but carry Sora in his arms and begin walking. "We'll just have to keep going. I don't know what else to do but put him to sleep but if we get attacked by heartless again, he needs to be conscious or we're all in big trouble."

"HELLO! IS ANYBODY OUT THERE?" a voice rang out through the woods and Riku and Elsa could make out what appeared to be torch light.

"Anna! Anna, is that you!?" Elsa called out and ran towards the lights while Riku followed close behind.

"ELSA!" Anna shrieked with relief as she ran toward her sister, the two hugging tightly as they reunited. "Omigosh, are you guys alright? As soon as the commotion died down, I got a team together to look for you!"

"Thank goodness, Anna! You're just in the nick of time. We need to get Sora back as fast as we can!"

"Right! Come on, everyone in the carriage!" Anna hurried Riku over and the two of them let Riku get on first before getting in after him. Anna instructed the driver to go as quickly as he can and they all held on as he made haste to get them back to the castle.

Riku sat on the floor of the open carriage where it was the most enclosed so he didn't have to worry about holding onto Sora and the carriage at the same time. He kept the whimpering brunette held tightly to his chest as he quietly whimpered. Sora's arms were already bleeding from digging his nails too deeply into himself so he resorted to clutching at Riku's shirt instead while he tried to keep his writhing to a minimum. Riku was relieved to hear Sora quiet down, praying that the worst of it was over. But he didn't let up his tight hold on Sora as holding him as close as possible has proven to ease his pain the most. "Sh sh shhh..." he whispered in an effort to calm him as Sora's lower half began spasming in his lap. He softly brushed Sora's bangs from his face to find they were drenched with cold sweat and began gently kissing his brow in an effort to distract him from everything else. "Don't worry. I'm here for you, Sora. We'll get through this, I promise."

A rough bump shakes the music box out of Sora's pants pocket and Anna quickly retrieves it off the floor for him. "Here you go, Sora!" she offered it to him.

With a shaky hand, Sora reached out to take it from her. "Th-thanks, Anna," he thanked in a strained voice but gave her a small grateful smile. Now that it was back in his hand, he couldn't resist flipping the lid open with his thumb before tucking himself back into Riku, holding it between the two of them so they both could hear its song. Riku exhaled slowly through his nose as he felt Sora relax in his arms and allowed himself to loosen his grip just a little, the melody easing the strain of their hearts just enough for the time being.

From afar, Xigbar watched the carriage as it drove closer toward the castle, a smirk heavily painted on his face as he observed the carriage until it disappeared from his sight.

"Heh...what a lovely tune..."


	22. Drown it Out, Light it Up

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The boys settle in for a rough night. Unfortunate circumstances have somehow managed to make tumbling naked in front of a fireplace not all that fun.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I want to dedicate a note here to honor the memory of Keiji Fujiwara, (10/5/1964-4/12/2020), beloved Japanese voice actor of Lea/Axel and so many others. Thank you so much for the light you've brought to our world. May you rest in peace and your heart be your guiding key.

When they got back to the castle, Anna explained that she had the staff prepare hot baths for them and to stoke the fires. Riku thanked her gratefully as he carried Sora to the bath first. Elsa asked if there was anything else they could do for them and Riku simply asks for privacy and to not let anybody else come inside. Keep the castle on high alert in the meantime and if anything else shows up to let him know immediately.

Anna suggests that Elsa go ahead and give Riku their gift. Elsa sends Anna to fetch it while she explains to Riku that she and Anna made new bandages for Sora and have an herbal tea that might help with his pain. If anything it will definitely help either of them sleep. Anna comes back with a parcel and says it's just a sample of what they already have. They have a bunch more already prepared but this should do until morning.

Riku thanks them again and a scream from Sora sends him running back to the bathroom and closing the bedroom door with the promise he'll report to them as soon as possible, more than likely by morning.

"That poor boy..." Elsa quietly sobs as she and Anna stare helplessly at the closed door while they hear Sora's muffled cries. "It's not fair for somebody so kind to have to go through something like this."

Anna grabs her comfortingly by the shoulders and gently leads her away. "I know, but at least he has people to look after him. We've done all we could. Now we just need to believe in him and trust that he'll be alright. Think about it, he's scaled our highest mountain multiple times to see if you were alright, even after being thrown off more than once. He's tough. He'll get through this."

Elsa allowed herself to be lead away as she clutched her own arms. "From what I was told, him expelling stuff is supposed to be a good sign. But even if his body might be physically better for it when it's over, pain can do awful things to the mind. I worry that one day it might be too much."

In the tub, Sora's been blindfolded and has a bit in his mouth made of gauze wrapped around the handle of a broken wooden spoon. He's biting into it hard as he grips the sides of the tub with a white knuckle grip, laying on his right side while his left side is facing up. It's hard to remain submerged this way but for the time being it gives him something to concentrate on besides his pain. It felt twenty times worse than the others and it's very slow-going.

Riku can feel something hard trying to force its way through the side of his left thigh, but it seems to be tilting into a different direction. Unfortunately, it appears to be trying to emerge from a spot just below the curvature of Sora's left buttock, much to his embarrassment.

"You just had to jinx it, didn't you?" Sora growled around his bit.

"Hey, don't take this out on me! It's not like I'm the one who put them there!" Riku snapped but flinched at his own harshness. He was already so stressed out that he reacted without realizing Sora was mostly joking. "I-I'm sorry..."

"Me too," Sora sniffled. "I'm just glad nobody else knows. AAGH!"

"Well on the bright side, you look MUCH better. Somehow whenever you go into that form you heal yourself! The darkness that I was seeing on your skin is mostly cleared up too!"

"I think that's what the dreams were trying to tell me. NNGH!" Sora took a minute to breathe before he continued. "I use darkness in that form. If I use too much, it hurts me. But initially I'm using whatever darkness I have in my heart beforehand...like anger. Tonight, before all this happened, I must've had a lot built up and I used it against Xigbar. AGH! AH...ah...and and...that's why I sustained that form for so long."

"Why haven't you tried using this before?"

"GGGGGHHHHH!!!!" Sora thrashed as he felt another sharp pain spasm. "I'm not always aware of it when it happens. It's usually a last resort. I don't pretend to understand it entirely. But the dreams also suggested it was being locked out somehow."

"The chest plate...do you think that's why? Is it keeping you from transforming?"

"I think so...but I'm not sure why."

"If that's really the case, though, we might have to rethink our arrangement just a smidge."

"Really?" Sora asked while trying not to sound too overjoyed about it. "I mean, yes, maybe we should. Nnngh!"

Riku leaned over the bath and ran his hands over the spot again sympathetically. Sora whimpered but he didn't ask him to stop. The mass seemed to be about an inch in diameter from what he could make out and it was already at a height of maybe half an inch but it still hadn't broken through the surface of Sora's skin yet. This was already much different from the other ones. The others just sort of phased through Sora's skin, but this one looks like it legitimately wants to rip through him.

"URRRRGHHHHHH!!!" Sora thrashed again and started slamming the side of the tub with his palm in pained frustration. "Just cut me open and get it over with!"

"No way! I'm a keyblade master, not a surgeon! Besides, we just finished healing most of the holes in your body. No way am I making another one!"

"Aaaarrghhhhh!!!" Sora resumed taking his pain out on the bit in his mouth and clinging to the side of the tub. All things considered, everything could be worse, but when he tried to think of anything that could possibly be worse he was interrupted with more pain. He thought about how lucky he was to not have frostbite. _But at least with frostbite I'd be numb._

Speaking of holes, Riku could see that the hole in Sora's chest was looking much better. The black coloring on his skin was all but gone save for the black within the hole itself where Sora's heart could be seen glittering inside all safe and sound. Without the black coating on his skin, the area all around the hole was mostly scar tissue that resembled healing burns. But he was disappointed to see that the hole hadn't actually gotten that much smaller. In fact, there was something else that looked off about it. "Sora, can you lie on your back for me?"

"Hnngg...huh wuh? Oh...sure," Sora was trying to put himself in a different zone to ignore his pain and it wasn't going so well, so he didn't really comprehend right away what Riku was asking. When he complied, felt more pain shoot up his leg and he resisted the urge to kick out the other end of the tub out of sheer reflex by grabbing both sides of the tub with his hands. "Nnnnnng...why did you make me move?"

"I'm sorry, there's just something I wanted to check," Riku explained while he ran his hand through Sora's hair apologetically. He felt Sora lean into his hand and began massaging his scalp while his other hand went into the water to trace over the brunette's chest. At the barest touch, Sora immediately freaked out and nearly jumped out of the tub but Riku quickly grabbed him by the shoulders and forced him back down so he wouldn't fall. The teen began breathing really hard and Riku wrapped his arms around his shoulders and resumed the massage to calm him down while apologizing over and over. "I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to scare you."

Sora found he was incapable of making words but he did calm down a little bit and leaned his head into Riku's hand again while tears continued to leak out from under his blindfold.

Once he seemed to have settled, Riku kissed the top of his forehead. "I still need to look. But I won't touch without asking this time."

Sora sniffled, "Okay..." and leaned back into the tub so Riku can look. He wasn't even sure why he freaked out, to be honest. He loves it when Riku touches him. Even when he's hurting, he found his touch to be soothing so why did that touch scare him so much, he wondered?

The keyblade master peered back down where Sora's chest was now barely above the surface of the water so he could make out much clearer what had caught his attention in the first place. Around the edges of the wound appeared to be blue bruising. It wasn't purple or black or like anything else he had seen before. This time the wound looked like it had further trauma inflicted upon it. He then recalled seeing Xigbar grab Sora by the face, but couldn't see what his other hand was doing. _Did he do this?_

"R-Riku!" Sora cried out and flipped to his side again. "AAAAAGH!! IT HURTS! IT HURTS SO BAD!"

Riku kneeled down and wrapped one arm around Sora's upper body to hold him tightly while his lower half stayed submerged in the tub. The teen was shivering in pain as he clutched at Riku's now very wet shirt. In an effort to ease his pain, he dipped his other hand down to gently rub the spot on his leg and Sora's thrashing stilled, but he continued to moan in agony. Beneath his finger, he could feel the texture of his skin change from soft to rock hard and he looked down to see a small ball of light where his finger was and in the center of it was a crystal, just as big as he feared it was going to be. He held his hand open near the exiting object, expecting it to shoot out of Sora like the others had, but instead plumes of black started appearing in the water as darkness began leaking out of the wound, exactly like the stuff that ends up in Sora's bandages at the end of every day. Riku retreated his hand just as all the water in the tub dyed black with swirls of a very concerning color of red. Riku was so startled by the sight that his mind went blank as he stared at the horrifying image of Sora thrashing in a pool of black. For a few seconds he couldn't even hear Sora's cries as he felt like something in him just snapped. But when the dark matter in the tub started crawling up Sora's arms as if Sora were being dyed too, he shook himself out of it and risked shoving his arms back into the tub to hook his arms under the teen's body and hoist him out of it as quickly as he could!

Sora immediately wrapped his arms around Riku's neck as he was lifted out of the tub. He had no idea what was going on, just that the tub suddenly got really cold really fast and he felt an intense fear take over and Riku wouldn't say anything when he called out his name. Now back in Riku's arms, he felt safe again even as he trembled from the cold, his wet body completely soaking the elder teen's clothes as he held him tightly. Both of them were breathing hard and Sora could feel Riku's heart pounding in his chest. His concern for his best friend almost making him forget his own pain for the moment. "R-Riku? A-are you okay?"

"Y-yeah. Don't worry, everything's fine. Let's just get you dried off and hang out in front of the fireplace for a bit, okay?" Riku suggested as he held Sora almost too tightly.

"Sure..." Sora wasn't too sure Riku was alright as the elder male's heart was still pounding really hard. He blindly reached up his chest and up his neck to cup his cheek. "If you need a minute to yourself, I'll be okay."

Riku sighed and smiled softly, turning his head to kiss Sora's palm before adjusting his grip, "That's very sweet, Sora, but I'll be okay. I'm not leaving you for one second." He then proceeded to carry him out of the bathroom where some warm towels were waiting in front of the fireplace and got to work drying Sora off as fast as he could and had him sit on the bearskin rug that was in front of it while he grabbed the parcel that Anna and Elsa had gifted them. He returned to Sora's side and unwrapped it to find the packets of herbal tea that Elsa mentioned. Beneath that, were rolls of what Riku could only assume to be gauze but they glittered an icy blue color and felt lighter than any bandages he's ever held. He took one roll and unraveled it a bit to see it glitter in the firelight as if it were spun out of diamonds. It felt so delicate in his hands, like a snowflake on his fingertip, so much so he worried it might actually disappear if he held it in his hand for too long. Come to think of it, he did see Elsa make clothes for herself out of thin air, so maybe she used her magic to make the gauze, too. Eager to try it out, he got to work wrapping Sora up in the usual places, save for the leg that's still pushing out the hunk of crystal which now looks about an inch long.

As Riku wrapped the new bandages around Sora, the brunette eeped a little bit at how cold they were at first. But before Riku could get a chance to explain what they were, they began solidifying together into what appeared to be a solid white casing that sparkled like freshly fallen snow. Confused, Riku felt up where he just finished wrapping Sora's arm and found it was almost seamless, as if it were painted onto his skin. But when he used his fingernail to try and peel it off, it came back up like a gauze again. Fascinated, he smoothed the corner back down and gave the strange cast a poke to discover it was hard to the touch, but still gave, like packed snow. But when he had Sora flex his bicep, it stretched with him.

Needless to say, Sora wasn't a happy camper as he had to keep repositioning himself so that Riku could wrap him up properly. But he was happy to be able to take the blindfold off at long last once Riku was finished. He looked down to see himself wrapped up and looking like he was part snowman. "Whoa, what's this?"

"New bandages from Anna and Elsa. How do they feel?" Riku asked.

"Well, it almost feels like I'm not wearing anything. You sure these are bandages?" Sora asked perplexed as he rotated his wrapped left wrist.

"See for yourself." Riku handed him one of the bundles of gauze and smiled as Sora admired the glittering fabric that looked as if it were spun crystal.

"Wow, Elsa and Anna made these? Come to think of it...I can feel it now. Where I'm wrapped I feel kind of cold, but in a good way. Like I feel like my pain's being numbed." He then flinched really hard and dropped the gauze on the floor as he reached to clutch at his leg. He didn't cry out this time, but Riku could see tears threatening to leak out of the corners of his eyes.

Riku winced sympathetically ran a hand through Sora's hair. The cold sweat was back on the teen's brow. "They made a tea for you, too. Would you like to try it?"

Sora made a face, never having really been a big fan of tea, but at this point he's willing to try almost anything. "Sure, why not? Nngh..."

"Okay, I'll get it started, just hang tight for a second," Riku gave him a quick kiss on the forehead and gave his hand an affectionate squeeze before walking over to the trolley that was left in their room. Apparently Anna had a kettle of hot water prepared for them too and he went about reading the instructions written in neat script on the parchment included with the pile of tea packets. It was a little too tiny for his liking and he had to squint in the dim firelight to read it, but it seemed easy enough so he unwrapped one of the packets that already had a tea bag prepared in it and dropped it in the kettle of hot water. While it did its thing, Riku decided he should probably get out of his own wet clothes as he realized how heavy and clingy his clothes felt. He glanced over at Sora who seemed to be slightly calmer for the time being, so he decided to be quick about it.

Sora was facing the fire to distract himself but a rustling of clothes caught his attention and he rolled from where he was lying see what Riku was up to. Even while in pain, Sora couldn't help staring as he lay facedown on the bearskin rug and enjoyed the show. Riku's pale skin practically glistened in the firelight as he peeled off the wet clothing. His muscles flexing as he pulled them off was almost more than Sora could handle. If it weren't for the thing coming out of his leg, he probably would've been tempted to jump the keyblade master, but this was a nice distraction too.

Riku catches Sora staring at him just as he's about to put on a new shirt. The two lock eyes and Sora's face turns red but he doesn't look away. With those eyes on him gleaming with a flame that he wasn't entirely sure came from the fire itself, the keyblade master froze like a deer in headlights. Finally he could stand it no longer and asks, "What's up?"

"Um...well...couldyoukeepitoff?" Sora mumbled, burying the lower half of his face into his folded arms.

"Keep what off?" Riku blinked as he felt his own cheeks start to flush, but he wasn't sure if it was from what he thinks Sora's requesting or the fact that he just realized how cute and irresistible Sora looked right now. His lithe, toned body draped over the bearskin rug with his sun-kissed skin bathed in firelight was a feast for the eyes that he hadn't processed until now because he was so worried about taking care of him first. In fact, he was still worried as he could see the object of Sora's pain jutting out of the islander's lower backside but the way those sapphire eyes looked at him made his brain switch gears.

"Allofit?" Sora mumbled again, burying his face even further into his arms so only his eyes could be seen above his forearms. "Just seems fair," he added quietly.

"Fair?" Riku tried his best not to laugh but he couldn't keep the smile off his face as he asked, "What do you mean fair?"

"Hmph...I think you know what I mean," Sora answered as what still could be seen of his face turned even redder.

Even though Riku couldn't really see, he was sure Sora was pouting and he put his hand on his hip in reconciliation. "Alright, but in exchange, you have to try and finish your tea. Deal?"

"Okaaaaay..." the brunette conceded and struggled to move into an awkward sitting position while Riku grabbed a blanket from the bed and poured Sora a cup of the medicinal tea, which he hoped had steeped enough by now. When Riku offered it to him, he carefully took the warm cup into both hands and cradled it for a minute under his nose while he sniffed at it. It kind of smelled like blueberries but also something else. Rosemary seemed pretty close. Lavender for sure. But beneath the floral scents he could make out something bitter. As he wrinkled his nose trying to figure out what it is, Riku sat behind him and cuddled him from behind very carefully while wrapping the blanket around both of them. Immediately Sora felt his entire being relax as his boyfriend's warm body wrapped around him, further distracting him from the throbbing pain that has rendered his entire left leg practically numb.

"Go on, drink up before it gets cold," Riku urged while he kissed the back of Sora's neck. "I'm sure it must taste better than the potions you've had to chug, right?"

"Eh, potions don't really taste like much of anything, but--NGH (he winces from a pain spasm), could be nice to try something different, I guess," he shrugged and took a tentative sip. It was borderline almost too hot for him to taste anything at first but once the first sip was out of the way, he took another. The first flavor he could make out was just sheer plant matter which sent an uncomfortable chill down his spine. He made a face but remembering his promise, he took another sip while breathing deeply. This time, the florals filled his nose and he was distracted enough by the calming scent of lavender to ignore the strange, bitter taste that he was still getting. By the fourth and fifth sip, he could finally taste the blueberry that he initially smelled. Only now that he was almost done with his first cup, he's not entirely sure it was blueberry flavoring at all. There was something still slightly bitter and heavy about it.

Riku watched him ease into drinking the tea and could feel the smaller teen's body relax more and more against him. Soon he was almost leaning fully into Riku, his back pressed into his chest and head resting against his shoulder. "How was it?" he asked once Sora seems to have finished. "Want another cup?"

"Hmmm...ehh...I dunno..." Sora mulled over the still warm cup. "It was okay I guess...but I dunno if I want another one."

"Are you sure?" Riku asked in a low voice directly next to Sora's ear as his hands wandered down to gently grip Sora's hips. From there, he wrapped one arm around his thin waist while his other hand glided smoothly down the soft side of the brunette's buttock to graze his fingertips around the hot glowing spot where the crystal was still pushing itself out from.

Sora gasped, but also mewled quietly as his body was torn between being in pain and dying to be touched more. Everywhere Riku's fingers touched burned in the most fantastic way possible and when he touched the places Sora hurt the most, it was like he was being lit with electricity that dulled the sharp pain currently stabbing at him from the inside out. It still hurt, but it made all the difference between a stabbing pain and a crunchy kind of pain. One was like being skewered while the other felt akin to the crunchy pins and needles you get in your leg when it wakes up after you've been sitting on it for too long. At the end of the day, Sora knew which one he would prefer out of the two. If this was Riku's way of bribing him, then consider him bought. "A-alright, maybe one more."

"Coming right up," Riku smirked into Sora's neck before kissing him on the cheek and disentangling from him to grab the tea tray. He could hear Sora moaning at the loss from behind him as he gathered up the tray and couldn't help smiling to himself before turning around to rejoin him. After setting the tray down in a safe spot, he gathered Sora up in his arms again, wrapped the blanket around them, and then reached for the kettle to pour Sora another cup.

The brunette obediently held out his cup for Riku to fill and once it was properly replenished he eased back into the elder male's muscular frame and commenced his second draught. Somehow it tasted even better this time and he shivered against Riku as he felt it warm him from deep inside and all the way out to his fingers and toes. As he finished the second cup, he felt an overwhelming sense of relief that made him so relaxed he couldn't keep his eyes from fluttering closed.

Riku had nearly fallen asleep himself as he nestled into Sora's hair but the quiet clink of the cup falling out of Sora's hands roused him. Against himself, he could tell Sora's breathing was deep and even as his shoulders gently rose up and down. To be sure, he leaned gently to the side to study Sora's face and sure enough he seemed to be sleeping peacefully. The silver-haired teen breathed a sigh of relief and reached down to feel Sora's leg again to check on the progress of that literal pain-in-the-ass crystal. To his horror, the foreign object seemed to be retreating BACK into Sora's leg as he felt its length getting shorter beneath his fingers. He quickly whipped the blanket off of them with his free hand while he gripped the 1.5 inch long protrusion with the other as he firmly held it to keep it from retracting any further. Sure enough, the light in Sora's thigh that was pushing out the crystal was no longer there and the crystal was taking the opportunity to go back in. "Oh no you don't!" Riku growled and tried to rouse Sora from his sleep by using his other free hand to gently shake his shoulder. "Sora! Sora, I'm sorry, but you gotta wake up. Come on!" he urged apologetically while keeping his grip firm in his other hand, or at least firm enough without risking the crystal shattering in his hand.

Sora's eyes snapped open when he felt Riku jostling him and became re-aware of his pain all over again even though he had only been out for a minute or two. "AAAGH!!!! STOP! WHAT ARE YOU DOING!?" Sora's eyes screwed shut as he fumbled clumsily to grab Riku's wrist.

Before Riku could even explain what was happening, Sora's hand gave up on his wrist and started blindly fumbling at the crystal jutting out of his thigh as if he completely forgot what they were doing in the first place. Just as his fingers wrapped around his own, Sora jerked violently against him with that Riku thought was another pain spasm, but then HE felt something too! Something that startled him so much that his first instinct was to let go of Sora's leg and instead wrap his arms tightly around him as something like a vision began flashing before his eyes. He tried to stay somewhat rooted in reality, but as he felt Sora hyperventilating in his arms, he decided to let the vision take over as it started flooding through the dreameater link that he shared with his soulmate.

He had caught glimpses of Sora's dreams before actually making a dive, even seen events in real time as they were happening through his eyes, but nothing quite like this. His heart was racing, his body felt heavy, everything hurt, his vision was blurry, there was so much noise...and the smell of blood filled his nose. Riku had no control over his body and what he was seeing felt like he was viewing it from only one eye. He was running so hard his lungs screamed for breath, but there just wasn't any time. Flashes of bright light were exploding all around him. Voices were cackling in his ears from all sides and the ground was littered with sharp purple spikes. He dodge-rolled and feet flying over his own head confirmed he was seeing a memory through Sora's eyes.

_No! Riku, don't!_

Riku could hear Sora's voice in the back of his mind. It was fuzzy and warbled but he could just make it out.

_Please! I don't want you to see this!_

"Sora!" Riku found himself back in reality as Sora had shoved himself out of his grip and crawled away on the rug. Tears were streaming down his face as he clutched his leg. The light had come back, but a fresh ring of black blood had begun pooling around the end of the vile crystal. "Sora, why--"

"Because it's too much!" Sora sobbed. "I don't want you to go through it too!" He sniffed loudly and tried to explain in a quieter voice, but it sounded no less anguished. "I don't want you to hurt like I do, even if it's just for a minute. I don't want anybody to ever feel this kind of hurt, ESPECIALLY you! So please...just stay away."

Riku tried to not let on how hurt he felt as the words "stay away" stung worse than anything he felt during that vision. He knew Sora only meant well, but he felt angry somehow. Didn't he JUST say he was going to stick by him? Why does Sora keep insisting on pushing him away when the only thing that makes the both of them feel better is them being close? He tried to stay calm and rationalize with him while kneeling close with an outstretched hand, "Come here, Sora. It'll be fine. I'm sure it won't happen again."

Sora almost reached for his hand out of sheer habit but quickly retracted it. "Yes it will. Your eyes are glowing yellow," he pointed out bluntly. "Which means you're in support mode."

Riku gave an exasperated sigh. By that logic, his eyes should be yellow all the time. "Look, how about you just come over here and lay down then. I'll clean you up but I won't touch you. How's that?" He reached over for one of the white towels hanging out of the medical supply pocket of their duffle bag and waved it like a little white flag of surrender.

Sora eyed him warily but couldn't help chuckling at Riku's little flag waving so with a sigh and a wince, he dragged himself back to where he was lying on the floor originally before Riku suggested the sleepy tea, rump facing Riku while he faced the fire again. He rested his head on his folded arm while he felt Riku dab at the blood coming from his thigh. Although Riku was being gentle, every blot sent white hot lightning up and down his leg and he trembled as he clenched his toes. He was too tired to scream anymore. Too exhausted to thrash and cry. All he could do was take shaky deep breaths as he rode out each spasm. "I-I'm sorry I yelled at you."

There it was...that soft voice that always has a firm grip on Riku's heart and knows just how to tug on him in all the right ways. Keeping true to his word, he hasn't touched Sora and he can feel the dream eater link's power dying down as the brunette became more awake but he urged to keep it on just a for a little bit longer. "Sora...I know you think you're protecting me. But watching you suffer through this has already brought me more hurt than you will ever know..."

The brunette felt his heart break and begin curling in on himself as silent tears streamed sideways from his eyes and dripped onto the furry rug. He knew they were both hurting, but he realized how much ignoring his own words to Riku about holding back to protect the other when it only makes things worse was tormenting them both and he felt ashamed. Whatever this was eating at him...he's just not himself. Of all people, Riku would understand the most but like an idiot he keeps thinking of reasons to push him away. Was it really him or the darkness influencing him to keep Riku at bay? Or...was he just not strong enough to let others help him?

"So listen...anything I can do for you to lessen your suffering would ease my own tremendously, even if it means sharing in your pain. So please...let me help you. Or at least help me understand what's going through your mind so I can help you figure it out," Riku continued, clenching his hand as he resisted the urge to touch Sora while he watched him curl in on himself. "Please...Sora?"

Sora's entire body shook as he silently cried. He clutched at his crown necklace until the pointed tips bit into his hand as he desperately tried to form words but all he could utter was, "Riku...Riku..." Just saying his name made his heart ache for him all the more.

Riku's expression softened as he felt Sora's heart tugging at his own. Of course he forgave Sora. "Can I touch you?" he whispered softly.

"Please..." Sora managed to whimper and his reply was met almost immediately with a blanket of warmth that was Riku's body wrapped around his own. He clutched tightly at the arms holding him and felt the burning in his leg get more intense as it glowed brighter and with it, he felt the memory from before trying to come back.

Riku felt Sora stop breathing in his arms and gave him a gentle shake, "It's okay, Sora. I got you. Just breathe. I'm here. We'll get through it together. I promise, I'm not leaving your side."

Sora started breathing again, but it was too fast. He tried to slow down but he was already seeing red as images began flashing through his mind's eye. He could hear Xigbar's voice taunting him and the cloaked man egging him on and the sounds of explosions ringing in his ears. Over and over his skin felt something hot but it was also so cold. "R-Riku..." Sora grabbed one of the elder's hands and moved it down to his backside. "Touch me...please..." he begged, knowing if nothing else, Riku's light would make him feel better.

Riku complied and gently massaged the area in small circles with his fingertips. He could feel the light intensifying and the dream eater link was opening up again. He took that as an invitation to see what was bothering Sora's subconscious.

Again, they were thrown into the scene from before, almost right where they left off before Sora shoved Riku away. It was still really hard to tell what was going on, but Sora seemed to be dodging quick despite his many apparent injuries. Suddenly a hot blast hit him in the side and he was blown sideways, skidding across the shattered crystal ammo that littered the floor. Sora had mentioned this is probably what happened before, but as Riku saw the floor approaching, just before Sora raised his arm to shield his face for impact, there was one very long spire standing straight up and as Sora fell, both felt it pierce them and they snapped out of the shared flashback with a gasp. Sora was panting for air and while Riku's breathing was a little more calm, his free hand was trembling as he slid his fingers through Sora's hair in an effort to soothe him.

"D-did you see that?" Sora managed to ask.

"I did...yeah," Riku nodded while he swallowed hard.

"H-how big--"

"Maybe six inches?" Riku answered without needing to hear the whole question. His eyes now fading back to their normal teal color. "It was kind of hard to see. Your depth perception at the time wasn't that great."

Just then, both could hear their gummi phones going off in their respective pants pockets. Both looked at each other with confusion, but as they moved to reach for them, Sora immediately curled up into a ball, clutching Riku's arm so hard that his fingernails nearly drew blood. "Please!" Sora begged. "Just a little longer!"

Riku endured it but he grabbed the bit off the floor from earlier and offered it to Sora so he could take his pain out on something else for a moment. "Hang in there. I feel like this is the final stretch! Just breathe!"

"You make it sound like I'm giving birth!" Sora hissed.

"Let's not even go there!"

\- - -

Isa, Lea, Xion, Roxas, and Naminé all live together in Twilight Town. After working it out with Ansem the Wise, they decided it would be best for all of them to live in the abandoned mansion where they could simultaneously keep an eye on things while having room to move their elbows. For the most part it felt like a dream come true for Roxas, Xion, and Lea, who had originally planned to run away from the Organization together to live normal lives together. Now with the five of them, it felt like a family; a family with two weird dads, that is. Isa has settled all too comfortably into the role of the strict patriarch and Lea was more than happy to be the fun one. The girls share a room with bunk beds, Roxas has his own room, and Lea and Isa share another room. Before they came to the arrangement with Ansem the Wise, it had been a cramped fit in an apartment and they were starting to draw too much attention to themselves. They have just very recently settled in, but lately everybody's been busy with missions or school so it's been a little hard to get everybody to hang out when it's not dinner time. Even so, Lea and Isa have been very supportive of the three teens growing into their own people and have no problem with them running off to hang out with the other teens their age while the two of them did their own thing. Tonight was no exception, but something was a little off.

Lea had brought Kairi to visit Xion and Naminé who brought her along to a study sleepover at Olette's house to finish their midterm projects. Lea asked Roxas if he wanted to invite the guys over but he turned it down, apparently still surly about something. The blonde is the furthest behind on his homework and his mind seems to be somewhere else. Lea's trying to help him through it, but eventually he gets fed up with Roxas's attitude and asks him to spill it. "What, you hate school now? I thought being normal was what you wanted!"

"..." Roxas barely peered up from the notebook he was scribbling on.

Isa comes into the white room that they've converted into a dining/study room and sets down a pot of tea. Very calmly he pours a cup for Lea and then one for Roxas. "Do you feel like you're missing out on the action?" he asks as he sets down the piping hot beverage in front of the teen's notebook.

"Trust me, you're not missing anything," Lea added as he sipped at his tea.

"..." Roxas continued to say nothing. All he did was stare intensely at his notebook.

"It's nothing you should be worrying about. You should concentrate on being a kid with the others and let the adults handle this," Isa insisted very matter-of-factly as he opened up a biscuit tin.

Finally, Roxas lifted his head, in no small part due to the offered cookies. "No offense, Isa, but you suck at cheering people up. And when you actually try, I know it's because something is really wrong. So please cut the crap and tell me what's really going on."

"Isa, don't!" Lea warned.

The blue-haired man gave a sideways glance over at the redhead, his high collar hiding his smirk as he crossed his arms. "Well he did say please."

Roxas legitimately smiles at Isa and it seems to seal the deal.

"Fine. As former occupants of Sora's heart, you, Xion, and Ventus are considered liabilities for the time being. The new enemy may try to use you to get to Sora. So you're barred from participating until further notice."

Roxas grit his teeth, but he couldn't be mad at the two of them. He knew it wasn't the two of them that made the decision. "I couldn't care less about your recon missions. I've had enough of those from working with the organization."

"Then what?" Lea asked. "Are you worried about Sora?"

"You shouldn't be wasting your time worrying. He's with Master Riku," Isa stated bluntly as if that settled matters.

"Yeah, I know he's not your favorite person, but he would never let anything happen to Sora. You know that."

Roxas begins trembling, gripping his pencil really hard in his hand until it snaps into several pieces.

A piece of said pencil landed in Lea's tea and he quickly stood out of his chair at the expression on the blonde's face. "Roxas? Roxas, what's wrong?"

"H-he's in pain. So much pain. I-I can't breathe..." Roxas gasped while he clutched his head with one hand and grasped at his chest with the other.

"Whoa, hang on. Take it easy. Deep breath." Lea hurried over to Roxas's side of the table and kneeled in front of Roxas to look up into his eyes as he gripped his shoulder to hold him steady.

Isa had gotten up too and stood on Roxas's other side. He too started gently gripping his other shoulder to try and rouse him out of whatever fit he seemed to be having. Calmly he asked, "Roxas. What is it?"

"I can see it...I can see it!" Roxas gasped as he received flashes of Sora's memories, the same flashbacks Sora is currently experiencing on a whole other world. "Xigbar...that bastard!!!"

\- - -

Meanwhile, in the Land of Departure, Ventus writhes in his bed as nightmares torment his sleep once again. Sweat-soaked sheets clung to his skin and wrap tighter around him as he thrashes, further fueling his feeling of helplessness until he finally wakes up screaming and clutching his head. "NOOOOOOOOOO!!! NO STAY AWAY!!!"

His cries could be heard throughout the castle and it didn't take too long before all the lights came on and thunderous footsteps rang through the adjacent hall as Terra and Aqua rushed to Ven's room to investigate the cause of his distress. The door slammed open as both had their keyblades drawn, but Ven barely paid them any mind as he clutched his head and rocked back and forth in an upright fetal position.

"VEN! Ven, what is it?" Aqua cried out as she hurried to his bedside and began rubbing his arms up and down in an effort to calm him. "Are you alright?"

Terra cautiously approached before gently ruffling the teen's hair which made the teen finally look up from his knees. "Was it another nightmare?"

"I see him...the Master...it's HIM!"

\- - -

At a sleepover in another part of Twilight Town, Kairi and Naminé are both clutching Xion tightly as she cries. Little did she know, she was experiencing the same as the other two. She may not have felt the same pain as Sora, but she felt a different sort of anguish from the way Xigbar taunted Sora like he was a plaything. It reminded her so much of how Xigbar would taunt her and call her poppet and make her feel less than human and eventually nothing more than a pawn or toy. To relive that feeling while knowing that Sora had to endure the same was almost too much for her to bear. She couldn't even put it into words while poor Olette offered her tissues to dry her eyes. Finally the visions stopped and she explained to Kairi and Naminé what she saw while she hiccupped through her words. Kairi then decided it was time to make a call.

\- - -

Riku's phone is still going off like crazy as he receives floods of messages and missed call notifications but he can't separate enough from Sora to look. But who are we kidding, the world could be ending and he still wouldn't leave Sora's side. By now, the crystal looked to be about 3 inches long and was looking very narrow at the end, almost having the appearance of an icicle but with some very sharp edges still present on its shaft. By now, Sora was a heaving, sweaty mass on the floor that Riku struggled to keep awake so that he could finish pushing the damned thing out.

"You need to stay awake, Sora. I know you can do it. It's almost over. You're so close!" he encouraged as he cradled the teen and blotted at the sweat on his brow with a towel.

Poor Sora's body felt limp as his heart had already exerted so much energy up to this point. The only thing keeping him going was Riku's light and occasional curaga spells. He felt himself lose track of so much time as he faded in and out of reality. It feels like they've been at this for hours. In fact, he was pretty certain he could hear the chirping of birds outside as they greeted the approach of dawn. "I'm...so...tired..."

"I know, Sora, I know," Riku was trembling with exhaustion too as he pressed a kiss to Sora's forehead and held him close. Though the two were both pretty sweaty, he kept a blanket wrapped around the both of them as the two both seemed to shivering, even with the fire burning as brightly as ever. "But you're so strong. You're going to get through this. I believe in you. You're almost done. And then after this, we'll sleep as long as you want. And then we'll have that date and we'll go to the hot spring and kick some more heartless ass and we'll soak for real."

A weak smile crept to Sora's lips and he pulled himself up to kiss Riku's cheek, "We'll need a big breakfast too."

Riku gave a small laugh as he pressed his forehead to Sora's. "Yes, definitely. The biggest. But save room for those pretzels you wanted, too."

"Always room for pretzels..." Sora mumbled.

Just then, Riku felt something heavy fall into his hand and glanced down to see the crystal had at long last come out. He could barely contain his excitement as he reached for his satchel for the crystal-holding jar with his free hand while a barely-conscious Sora stayed upright by leaning against his chest. Finally, with a resounding POP he shoved the crystal through the lid and held the jar up to the firelight. It had to be at least 4 inches long as it barely fit into the jar, height-wise. "Sora, look. You did it," Riku roused him gently and showed him the jar.

"F-finally. My ass hurts..." Sora complained before nodding off completely and leaving Riku to heave them both into their actual bed before he could pass out too.

But just then, the blasted phone went off again and woke Sora who had Riku in his arms out cold and the blankets barely pulled over the both of them. With what remaining strength he had left, he pulled the blankets over them both properly and nuzzled Riku's nose with the softest of eskimo kisses before calling out to the gummi phones, "Hey gummi! Switch to Do Not Disturb Mode!"

From the twin beeps, Sora could hear that the command was successful for both phones and he smiled to himself as he pulled Riku's head against his chest and the elder teen unconsciously wrapped his large arms around Sora's waist. "I love you..." he whispered into silver hair before surrendering to sleep once more.


	23. Up Where they Walk, Up Where they Run

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The two enjoy a well-deserved sleep-in. While their bodies are resting, Sora's heart invites Riku over to play~

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Written in celebration of Mer-May! This chapter was going to be much denser, but in light of recent bothersome events just ruining all moods, I decided to let this be its own happy little chapter~
> 
> Happy Mer-May! Thank you for your patience and I hope you enjoy! <3

Sora could hear birds chirping outside the window. The drapes were drawn tightly closed to keep out the chilly morning air so he couldn't really tell what time it was. He pried his eyes open just a smidge to see the fire had been reduced to embers, but he was still really warm. He then glanced down, not daring to move his head to do so, to find Riku was still sleeping soundly in his arms. This was quite the surprise, seeing as how usually Riku's the one who wakes up early, but then again, he DID put both their phones on Do Not Disturb mode, so maybe it was his fault. Then again again, Riku _did_ say they could sleep in as long as they wanted. Actually, he promised that SORA could sleep in as long as he wanted, but the brunette has decided that should include Riku too. He smiled down at the sleeping figure and gently ghosted his fingers through his tousled silver mane, the exhausted figure not even stirring the tiniest bit. Sora could tell by how deeply he was breathing that he wasn't even close to waking up and that was just fine with him. If anything, he felt Riku deserved more rest than he did. In fact, just watching Riku sleep was making him sleepy again, despite the cheerful birds greeting the morning. He hoped Riku was having a nice dream and with that in mind, he allowed himself to drift off again.

_What would I give if I could live out of these waters?  
What would I pay to spend the day warm on the sand?_

Riku could hear someone singing, but it wasn't any song he's ever heard before. Without even opening his eyes he could hear the gentle lapping of waves on a sandy shore. It was a sound he was all too familiar with, but it sounded very distant. On top of that, he also feel a small tugging at his heart. It was a feeling he recognized but it wasn't an urgent feeling. It was more like a fleeting thought or a gentle nudge. It was something that told him Sora was thinking about him, but not calling for him. That's when he realized he was still asleep and he was sensing what Sora was dreaming. Perhaps he could feel it because he himself wasn't dreaming at the moment and was more receptive to whatever was going through Sora's side of their shared link, regardless of whether or not he was in distress. As he gathered more awareness, the ocean felt closer. He could almost feel the breeze tickling his face and that lovely voice was getting louder. He didn't want to intrude but the feeling he was getting in his heart made him more curious than ever, so he completed the dive and felt his feet land in sand. When he opened his eyes, he was greeted by a clear night sky. He was standing on an unfamiliar beach near a cliffside and very high up to his left he could see a castle and a lighthouse. The sand was very dark and coarse and there were many rocks jutting out of the water which would explain the need for a lighthouse.

Though it was a full moon and the stars were very bright, Riku couldn't make out much else in the dark, so he relied on the lighthouse to illuminate things for him as its gentle beam spun round. That's when he saw a flash of a blue tail and a pile of brown spikes hiding behind one of the rocks near the beach. Now that he had something to focus his gaze on, he could clearly make out Sora resting his head on his arms while he looked out toward the sea with his lower half in the water. He made to walk toward him and was about to call out his name when he heard that voice again from before.

_What would I give to live where you are?  
What would I pay to stay here beside you?_

He squinted through the dark again and the beam from the lighthouse lit up a splash of red resting on another rock. It appeared to be Princess Ariel. When the strobe rotated again, he caught the flash of her green scales and that confirmed her identity for Riku. _But what's Sora doing spying on a princess?_ With a mischievous smirk, he quieted his approach as he stealthily approached the rocks that Sora was hiding behind. The brunette was so oblivious as he watched Ariel that he didn't even notice Riku's feet standing within arm's distance of where he was resting his elbows until Riku bent down and tapped him on the head. "Didn't take you the type for spying on princesses~" Riku teased but was suddenly grabbed by his ankles and pulled into the water with a quiet splash so that he was treading water beside Sora. When he emerged, sputtering, he spit a mouthful of water in Sora's direction and hissed, "What's the big idea!?"

"Shhh! She'll hear you!" Sora whispered and pressed a finger to his lips before pointing back at Ariel.

Riku wiped the wet hair that had clung to his face from his eyes and scooched closer next to Sora so he could look. In the dark there wasn't much to see, but the mermaid princess was definitely staring longingly up at one light that remained on in the castle on the cliffs.

_What would I do to see you smiling at me?  
Where we would walk? Where would we run?  
If we could stay all day in the sun?  
Just you and me...  
And I could be...  
Part of your world..._

As Riku watched her, he felt an old ache in his heart that he hadn't thought of for a while. Just watching the little princess singing sadly while she stared up at a place she could never reach reminded him of how he felt when Sora had to sleep for a year. He had so much to say, so much to tell him, but Sora could never hear him. Even when he did wake up, Riku couldn't bring himself to get close while he looked like their sworn enemy.

"She said she wanted to see other worlds, starting with the land up above. When she rescued the prince from a ship wreck, she fell in love," Sora spoke in a soft, wistful voice that pulled Riku out of his own thoughts. He turned to look at the brunette who kept his chin rested on his arms as he watched Ariel. "Sebastian asked us to follow her. Every night for days she'd come out here and sing to him knowing she could never get any closer. It really tore her up inside."

Riku stayed silent. He knew what happened next based on what he read in Jiminy's journal. Sora and the others tried to help distract her from her obsession as a favor to King Triton, but things kept getting worse until he found out she fell in love with a human and punished the princess. In her despair, she turned to the sea witch for help and exchanged her voice for legs so she could have a chance to get Prince Eric to fall in love with her, all while Sora and the others watched from this very shore.

"I wondered for a while if we were doing more harm than good. But then I followed her on a night like this and that's when I heard it. Listen closely," Sora whispered.

Riku raised an eyebrow but did as he was told and listened attentively. Ariel had stopped singing and dived back into the ocean's dark depths, no doubt to return home before she's missed. Without her singing, Riku wasn't sure what he was supposed to be listening for, but then he heard it. The sad sound of a single flute playing from the lit window, repeating the melody Ariel had been singing a few moments ago. "I think I hear it," Riku whispered.

"See, the whole time the prince was calling out for her, too," Sora finally lifted his head and turned to Riku. He smiled broadly while his eyes glimmered with what appeared to be unshed tears. "He really did love her back."

Riku smiled softly and reached to cup Sora's cheek and caress it gently with his thumb. "You know they have a happy ending. Why are you crying?" he asked in a gentle voice so that the brunette didn't think he was making fun of him.

Sora shook his head as if to protest that he wasn't crying, but the motion caused the tears to leak out anyway. Riku couldn't resist smirking the tiniest bit while he watched Sora hastily fist away the tears from his cheeks. The corners of his eyes were still moist as he turned his attention back to the elder male with a pout on his lips. "It's just I think I see a lot of us in them...like their story and ours. You remember when we started our Mastery Exam?"

"How could I forget? We were attacked by a giant squid lady," Riku frowned.

"Yeah, Ursula..." Sora frowned as well. "I wondered for a while why she of all people showed up to ruin our exam and I was recently hit by the irony of it."

"Oh?" Riku asked as he heaved himself up on to the rock that he was originally standing on, since there was no princess to hide from anymore.

"Well, I mean, I was so thrilled to go on a mission with you. You know, for us to work together as a team, just you and me. And then that sea witch got between the two of us just like she did with Ariel and Eric," Sora explained as his expression darkened.

"Hm..." Riku turned his head to glance up at the lone light as the sad flute music continued. The old ache in his heart persisted as he thought on Sora's comparison. They really were alike even down to the part where they felt like they were close but couldn't speak to each other. He looked back to Sora whose eyes were on him and they locked gazes for a long moment. "Do you always...compare us to other pairings?" Riku asked cheekily to break the silence but he was surprised when instead of denying it, Sora blushed and looked away as if the rocks had suddenly become very interesting to him.

"I guess you could say I did a lot of thinking, yeah..." Sora admitted quietly as he poked at a lone pebble next to Riku's leg.

Riku felt his heart skip a beat at the admission and the softest smile crept upon his face as he stared fondly at Sora who was still avoiding his gaze. "If it makes you feel any better, I did my fair share of thinking, too," he confessed as he lowered a hand on top of the brunette's.

Sora finally looked up at him, all smiles as a blush continued to stain his cheeks. "That's sweet, Riku," he beamed.

Riku opened his mouth to say something else but his words got lost as he found himself drowning in Sora's sapphire gaze. The way his eyes were crinkling right now just made them seem to sparkle all the brighter as the stars above reflected in his jewel-like orbs. He felt his own face begin to heat up and felt embarrassed for some reason. But when he tore his gaze away just to glance slightly further down, he noticed something else that made his heart pound even harder. He just now realized in this dream Sora isn't covered in scars or bandages and this is the first time in years that he's seen Sora topless while uninjured. The sight made him so happy but also terribly sad at the same time. No matter what, Sora will always be perfect in his eyes. But seeing him like this completely unmarred in the moonlight without any pain to dampen his smile, no bandages to cover the fine lines of his lithe muscular frame, and no scars or bruises tainting the glow of his sun-kissed skin...it took his breath away. But it also pained him to know that this what Sora would've looked like had he not been so brutally abused. He could only wish with all his heart that one day Sora won't have to hurt anymore.

"Riku...?"

"Uh...um...Sorry, I was just thinking," Riku cleared his throat and hoped Sora couldn't see his blush in the dark. His brain frantically searched for something to say but all he could think of was, "Funny thing...Ursula stealing Ariel's voice to take the prince..."

Sora blinked and tilted his head slightly. "What's that...?"

"Uh...just that...well, you remember the stories about mermaids we heard from the other fishermen at home? About how mermaids would sing to entice sailors into the water so they could drown them? I just think it's funny that in Ariel's case, it was a sea witch who used her voice to steal a prince instead."

"Heh, I guess that's kind of funny. But wait, was it their voices or their looks? I thought sirens enticed men with their voices and mermaids used their looks?" Sora pondered.

Riku glanced down and admired the way Sora's human half blended seamlessly into his sleek blue dolphin tail. "Beautiful..."

"What was that?" Sora asked, unable to hear what Riku said as a crashing wave drowned out what he was saying.

"Er...I said does it matter?" Riku lied, now flustered as he worried that Sora caught him staring yet again.

Sora grinned deviously as he felt how hot Riku's hand had become, despite him still dripping wet. "Well yeah. After all...I don't think I can sing very well. So I might need another way to entice you."

"Huh?" Riku blinked and then saw the mischievous grin. He smirked, "Entice me, you say? Why?" He leaned his face close to Sora's, "Do you want to pull me under?"

The brunette snickered and reached his arms up to wrap them around Riku's neck, "Yes. I wish to pull you under so that I may devour you~"

He said it so convincingly and so dreamily that Riku just had to play along with their new little game. "To be devoured by something so beautiful would be such a sweet demise," he replied in a silky voice as he slipped into the role of an enchanted sailor, making sure to stare deep into Sora's eyes as he did so.

Sora felt a tingle go down his spine all the way down to the tips of his tail fin as he felt Riku drinking him in with his gorgeous teal orbs. Who was supposed to be seducing who here? His mouth was slightly agape as he fumbled for words but the way Riku softly gazed at him has fried his brain. He decided there was no way he could top that so he decided to just surprise Riku by yanking him into the water with him!

Riku didn't expect Sora to actually yank him in, so he was caught by surprise when he found himself in the water yet again! But this time, Sora wasn't letting go. He felt the teen's hands move from his neck to wrap around his waist and then warm lips were pressed to his as he felt Sora's tail flail gently near his legs as they descended deeper into the sea. He managed to open his eyes briefly but all he could see were wavy lights dancing in the water from the moon's rays and even those were getting harder to see as Sora dragged him down deeper. He let himself get pulled but reached his hands in the dark to cup both sides of Sora's face as he closed his eyes to focus on the soft lips pressed against his own. As they dueled tongues beneath the waves, Riku was becoming increasingly aware of how many bubbles were escaping from him and felt his lungs crave air but then Sora seemed to have that part covered. The brunette had moved one hand to cup the back of Riku's head to hold him tightly as he breathed air into his mouth which Riku gulped greedily. As he began to feel light-headed from their limited oxygen exchange, Riku recalled a similar game of intimacy he played with Sora back in Thebes when he playfully tried to smother the brunette with his kissing. Now that the tables were turned on him and he was relying on Sora's mercy to breathe, he discovered he found it very arousing. Just as he wondered if Sora realized what he was doing, he felt the teen's lips turn up in a smirk. His eyes flew open just as Sora pulled away and another large bubble of air escaped his mouth as he could see the brunette's eyes glowing in the water before him, his smirk turning into a fond smile as Riku felt the fingers on the back of his head snake through his hair. "Sora..." he tried to say but more bubbles escaped instead. His body felt hot and began to ache with need as he clung to Sora's slick merman form, unsure of which direction was up or down by this point.

Sora felt lost too, but in a different way. Unlike Riku, he could see clearly in the dark depths of the sea that he had dragged the elder teen into. As Riku was still fully-clothed and wearing boots, he couldn't swim nearly as gracefully as Sora, so the brunette was more than happy to take charge in their little game. He felt so warm as he felt Riku's trust in the way he cupped Sora's face and gave in to his deep and invasive kisses. He quickly became addicted to the high he got from feeding Riku oxygen. He realized probably a little too late that he might've been taking it too far but when he pulled away to check and saw Riku's flushed face with his hair flowing weightlessly in the water he knew right then and there he wanted to do much, much more to Riku. The elder teen probably didn't realize it, but his eyes were glowing pink and their needy gaze further enticed Sora to reward his dreameater in more ways than one. He lovingly embraced his protector and held him as close to his body as possible while he whispered into his ear, "Riku...can I touch you?"

Sora's voice was muffled in the water, but it was a request he could also hear very clearly with his heart. At those words, he felt like his body was acting on its own accord as he clung tighter to Sora's form even though they were already pressed so closely together. He had been taken over by an overwhelming need that almost frightened him but nevertheless he nodded into Sora's shoulder as his hands palmed the teen's lower back. Riku then felt Sora's warm arm around his waist shift and hot fingers press between both their bodies as they attempted to crawl beneath his shirt. Riku pulled back slightly to allow the hand to explore and then felt Sora's forehead press to his.

The two hovered in the water unmoving for a very long moment, fingers and hands lingering as they could feel each their hearts pounding in anticipation but also the desire to take it slow and enjoy every second. Finally, Riku felt Sora's hand move up his abdomen and he gasped as his touch left a trail of fire on his skin. As his last bubble of air escaped his lips, he felt Sora ghost his lips over his, practically torturing him with how close they were. He felt them move as Sora whispered breathily, "I love you so much..." before they finally pressed into him and fed his starving lungs more oxygen. This time, Riku couldn't help himself as he greedily devoured Sora's sweet mouth whose taste somehow overshadowed the saltiness of the sea. But then he felt the hand under his shirt travel further to graze a thumb over his left nipple and he stilled for the briefest of moments as the soft touch sent sparks all over his chest.

Sora felt more than just Riku's posture stiffen against him and smiled as he swept his thumb over the quickly hardening nipple again. Again, Riku's spine seemed to spasm as if he felt a jolt and Sora bit his own lip to keep from giggling. Instead he opted to pull his lips away so that he could nibble on the silverette's neck while he trailed his hand down his chest, caressing his hard pecs and abdomen with an admiring touch before coming down to his thigh and then moving to rest his palm on the front of Riku's pants where he felt his hardness growing for some time already. He half-expected Riku to flinch, but instead his hips bucked into his hand and he was more than happy to stir his palm over his heavy bulge. He could feel Riku's pulse quickening beneath his lips tilted his head up just in time to see many more bubbles escaping from Riku as the water drowned out his quiet moaning. The merman decided that just wouldn't do. He wanted to hear his boyfriend's cries of pleasure more than anything. He moved both hands to wrap around Riku's waist again and felt his heart get so warm when he heard a small whine of protest escape Riku when he removed his hand from his front. He pressed his lips to his once more to give him another gulp of air before pulling away to press his forehead to Riku's again. He tried to build up the courage to ask Riku for permission but decided it was better to ask when Riku wasn't clearly air-deprived. Holding him tightly, he began kicking his tail to swim them both to the surface.

Once they broke the surface of the water, Riku was immediately gasping and sputtering. It didn't help that the waves were becoming more choppy while the teen was clearly disoriented so Sora took it upon himself to swim him to shore too. Soon Riku was sprawled on his back while he caught his breath with Sora beached on his side and hovering over him to make sure he was okay. "Think you'll live?" Sora asked cheekily.

"I dunno," Riku managed to smirk between pants. "I might need mouth to mouth."

Sora snickered but was more than happy to oblige as he draped his body over Riku's to smother him with more passionate kisses while the elder teen wrapped his strong arms around his waist and felt him up. "R-Riku...!" Sora blushed as he propped himself on his hands, but Riku's grip on his merman half did not let up.

"I thought you were going to devour me?" Riku teased as he rubbed the area in the small of Sora's back where human transitioned to fish. "Seems I've caught you instead."

"Not quite, foolish sailor. I can still devour you on land," Sora grinned as he suddenly yanked Riku's shirt up and bent his head down to take a nipple into his mouth, earning a surprised gasp from Riku. Encouraged by the keening noises that started to escape from him, Sora wrapped his tongue around the hardening nub, licking the sea salt off of it before moving to the next one only to tease it by flicking it over and over with the very tip of his tongue.

"S-Sora!" Riku cried out, torn between wanting to shove Sora off and hold him tighter as he felt a hot coil in his stomach tighten and the need struggling against the front of his pants getting even worse.

"Will you let me...I mean...may I have you, Riku? ...Please?" Sora asked as slid down Riku's body so that he could undo Riku's belt and pants since he was obviously in discomfort. He stumbled over his words as he felt like the heat of his own blush was cooking his brain. But once he finally freed the keyblade master's length he found it harder and harder to hold back. He wanted to please Riku so badly, wanted to make him feel good as his shaky hand gently wrapped around the base to feel the heat radiating from his sex.

"Ah...yes...please..." Riku hissed through his teeth as he tried to keep himself quiet.

"Ohhh...Riku...Riku..." Sora murmured softly as he kissed a trail down Riku's chest and abdomen while whispering the dreameater's name in praise between kisses. He tried to keep his descent slow so that he could mentally prepare himself but his own eagerness got the better of him and in no time he found he had already kissed his way down to well below Riku's navel. From there he found the scent of him intoxicating as he continued slowly pumping the base of the shaft in his fist. The heat coming off of him was so intense and Sora was just ready to take Riku to that next level. Maybe it was from eagerness, maybe it was from shyness, and maybe it was also from just not knowing what he was doing, but he only took a couple of seconds before diving in and taking Riku into his mouth. The loud gasp of surprise from Riku who already had his eyes clenched closed from Sora's awkward but earnest pumping seemed to snap Sora out of some sort of reverie that he put himself in so that even HE was surprised by what he had done!

"S-Sora!" Riku choked as he struggled to speak over his gasping. His hands clutched in vain at the sand as he did his best to keep his body from bucking up into Sora's face, his toes clenching tightly in his boots.

Sora hummed around the tip in his mouth in response and curled his body upwards so that his long tail was resting on Riku's lower half, enough to keep him sufficiently pinned so that Riku wouldn't have to worry about keeping himself in check. He didn't want him to worry about anything except his own pleasure. He deserved every moment of it. From there, Sora experimentally sucked and swirled his tongue around the tip, tasting the sweet and salty evidence of Riku's desire. He was relieved to find it wasn't unpleasant in the slightest and it gave him the courage to go deeper and be even more enthusiastic with his ministrations using his mouth and hand.

This was already too much for Riku to take and now he could feel himself going deeper into the wonderfully wet and hot cavern that was Sora's mouth. That glorious tongue of his was exploring every bump and crevice of him and every gentle increase of suction made his other senses turn off but also explode at the same time. There was no ocean lapping at the shore, there was only the sounds of mer-Sora suckling on him. There wasn't a lighthouse or moon or stars, there were only fireworks exploding in his vision. There wasn't sand beneath him, he was floating on cloud nine. It wasn't too long before cloud nine became a roller coaster, the anticipation and feeling of falling from a great height building up inside of him, the ringing in his ears, the blood rushing from his head, the tightening of his body, he was close! "S-Sora! I-I'm gonna--!" he tried to warn him and even reached down to try and urge Sora off by grabbing his shoulder. However, Sora shoved him right back down with his free hand and kept him pinned by keeping his palm gently but firmly pressed down on his abdomen while he took even more of Riku's length into his cheek while he pumped him faster to encourage his release.

"A-aa-aahh!!" Riku softly cried as his orgasm took hold of him. He leaned his head back as far as it could possibly go, the back of his head making a crater in the sand as he gasped and moaned while he rode out the waves of hot pleasure that swept over his entire body in a seemingly never-ending torrent. He wanted so much to scream even louder, to tell Sora how much he loved him, to thank him for this gift, for relieving him of so much of what he's kept pent up for who knows how long. But he found himself breathless...and also found himself holding back...? Maybe it's because part of him knew this was still just a dream...so the real thing is only going to be even more incredible. If he over-reacted now, he wouldn't want Sora thinking that he wouldn't be able to top this experience in real life. OR...maybe it's because even in dreams, he was a smidge shy about making these noises in front of Sora...nah, that can't be it. Surely. He really was left breathless, though, and even when he opened his eyes at long last, his vision remained white for several long moments as he panted to catch his breath. He could feel his face burning and his body felt hot and heavy, like his limbs were made of lead. His senses from the tips of his fingers all the way to the tips of his toes were buzzing and tingling. By the time he started to come down from it and see clearly again, Sora's face was hovering above his, smiling softly with a warm glow in his beautiful half-lidded eyes. "Sora...that was..." he fumbled for words but could only give a light chuckle as his own inability to form them so instead he opted for reaching up to cup Sora's cheek affectionately.

The brunette murred as he nuzzled into Riku's slightly sandy palm and kissed the tip of his thumb as he closed his eyes contently. He was tempted to make a joke about how Riku turned out to be a tasty meal, but just the thought of it made his cheeks light up so he decided to just let the game end on this note. Besides, he didn't want to ruin this moment. He opened his eyes to drink in the sight of his disheveled protector, his broad chest still gently heaving in his afterglow, his face flushed as his eyes softly met his own, his skin glistening as beads of water speckled his skin like tiny diamonds. He was just so perfect...and Sora was perfectly in love with him...and Riku loved him back. Mind blown. As they continued to lock half-lidded eyes, the brunette noticed how pink Riku's irises have become and couldn't help but grin proudly.

Riku felt those smug lips turn up in a smile against his palm and refocused his gaze to look at Sora questioningly, "What is it?"

Sora shook his head and held Riku's hand to kiss the back of it. "It's nothing."

_Waking Dream..._

Sora's smile grew broader. _How fitting~!_ He chuckled to himself and leaned down to press his lips to Riku's before the elder teen could ask him what was so funny. As he smiled into the kiss, he could see little hearts popping up in the corner of his vision. Pop pop pop~ Sparkle sparkle sparkle~ All happening while Riku was seemingly unaware as Sora distracted him with the lazy make-out session until the brunette just couldn't take it anymore and started giddily giggling.

"Nn?" Riku was now sure it definitely wasn't nothing and gently pried his lips from Sora's giggling mouth. "Seriously, what's so funny?"

"Oh, just wondering what stat boost you should have next!" Sora giggled even more, not even bothering to hold back anymore as he flopped his weight entirely on top of Riku and wrapped his arms tightly around him so he could try and pull him into another kiss.

"Ohhhhhh no!" Riku protested as he wriggled beneath Sora. "You stay away from those!"

"Too late!" Sora cheekily informed him before gleefully trapping Riku's lips in his and kissing the both of them awake.


	24. Cold Rush, Warm Wading

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After Sora returns his many missed phone calls, Sora and Riku get trolled big time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> _Where the Northwind meets the sea,  
There's a river full of memory.  
Sleep my darling, safe and sound.  
For in this river all is found._
> 
> _In her waters, deep and true  
lie the answers, and a path for you.  
Dive down deep into her sound,  
but not too far or you'll be drowned._
> 
> _Yes, she will sing to those who hear.  
And in her song, all magic flows.  
But can you brave what you most fear?  
Can you face what the river knows?_
> 
> _Where the Northwind meets the sea,  
there's a mother full of memory.  
Come my darling, homeward bound.  
When all is lost, then all is found._

The two blearily opened their eyes and share twin yawns as they stretched their limbs above their heads. They were awkwardly and stiffly doing their best to not bonk each other in the face as they did so. "G-Good morning," Sora struggled to greet through his second yawn.

"Morning or afternoon?" Riku asked groggily as he squinted at the beams of light coming in through the window over Sora's shoulder.

"Does it matter?" Sora sleepily questioned as he rubbed the sleep out of his eyes with one fist while another arm snaked back around Riku's waist to try and sneak a little more cuddle time out of him.

"Yeah, I mean, a little," Riku insisted as he made to get up, but Sora's hand on his waist stopped him. "Soraaaaaaaa..."

"Just a few more minutes," Sora lazily pleaded. "It's cold."

"All the more reason you should get up and move around," Riku teased.

"Nu!" Sora pouted childishly and gripped Riku all the tighter so he could bury his face into his hair and block out the rest of the world.

Riku rolled his eyes in amusement and pulled the blankets off of them both only to notice Sora's lower half was covered in something. "Uh...you're sure you don't want to get up for a bath at least?"

"Huh?" Sora was originally going to protest the lack of blankets but upon looking down at what he was covered in, he frowned. "That wasn't all me."

"Maybe not, but it's still all your fault," Riku retorted. Before Sora could even argue, Riku stood and scooped him up in his arms to take him to the bathroom for yet another bath. Upon reaching the bathtub, he noticed the tub had drained and there was no trace of the black stuff from earlier.

Sora, while cradled in Riku's arms, looked down at the bath and frowned. "Can we just scrub off and rinse off today? I'm not really in a bath mood."

"Fine by me," Riku agreed.

The two proceeded with their morning routine, complete with new bandages for Sora and a fresh set of clothes. But while Sora brushed his teeth, he had a feeling he was forgetting something.

"FORTY MESSAGES!?" Riku shouted from the bedroom.

"Oh riiiiiiight," Sora gargled and finished up but decided to take his sweet time flossing to prolong his fate. He wasn't sure why, but he had a feeling the messages were all about him. Just a hunch. Riku walked into the bathroom and set Sora's phone on the sink so Sora could see he had just as many messages, if not more. The brunette looked between the phone and Riku with a piece of floss hanging out of his mouth. "Wha--? It wasn't meh!"

"So you didn't put the phones on silent?" Riku asked with a hand on his hip while he continued scrolling through his own messages.

"Ah mean...yeah, I did thaht," Sora mumbled as he reached for the backs.

"Sora, you're stalling," Riku huffed.

"Wha--?"

"I've never seen you floss," Riku deadpanned and yanked the floss from Sora's hands to replace it with the gummi phone. "Now you answer every single message."

It was Sora's turn to huff as he unlocked the screen. "Well, maybe I'm just trying to pick up better habits, RIKU!" he retorted with his tongue stuck out before scrolling through the messages. A lot of them were missed calls from Kairi, Axel, but even before that were many texts that he just never bothered reading. Some from Roxas asking if he was okay, some from Xion asking if they could all hang out soon, and so on. He didn't know why, but he'd been putting off answering them, not really knowing what to say to any of them. Donald and Goofy had sent a few texts saying they miss him. But all in all, they say the same thing: "We miss you", "When will we see you?", "How are you feeling?" He sighed, feeling Riku's eyes on him as he scrolled through them. Was he being completely awful for not answering right away? Yeah, probably. No, not probably. Definitely. As he scrolled through, he got to the notifications from last night. There were a lot of voice mails. He felt his throat run dry and gripped the side of the sink as he felt his body begin to tremble with anxiety. "Riku...I can't..."

"Can't what?" Riku looked up to see Sora had gone visibly pale as he stared down at his phone. "Can't listen to the messages or...?" He frowned in concern at seeing Sora's hand tremble around his phone and reached out to place his hand on Sora's. "How about we listen to them together? Would that help?"

"Y-yeah...I guess so," Sora nodded and let Riku lead him out of the washroom to settle back down on the rug in front of the fireplace. "I-I don't know why I'm so scared," he admitted. "I feel like something bad has happened and that it's my fault."

"Well you don't know that for sure. So let's just sit down and listen. All my texts just keep asking "Why aren't you picking up the phone?" and "Hey Mr. Keyblade Master, you in a dead zone?" and the like."

"We didn't miss somebody's birthday, did we?" Sora asked tentatively while his thumb hovered over the voice message play button.

"I don't think so. Not unless everybody realized your birthday's coming up all at the same time."

"Hnng..." Sora groaned and decided once and for all to quit stalling and touched the icon. First to play was Kairi's voice.

"Sora! Are you alright? Xion says she's seeing visions. Are you okay? Please call me back!"

"Visions?" Riku blinked. "You don't think she saw--?"

The next message was Axel's voice. "Hey Sora, I dunno what you're up to, but you've got Roxas throwing a fit! Call me back!"

"Roxas too?" Sora's voice quivered.

The next message was from Aqua, whose normally calm voice sounded anything but over the phone. "Sora! Ven's been having nightmares. He keeps saying something about the Master of Masters but refuses to talk about it. If you could call me back please, we're really worried about him."

"And Ven..." Sora choked back a sob which he tried to stifle with a hand over his mouth as tears leaked from the corners of his eyes. "I-I didn't mean..."

"It's not your fault, Sora!" Riku was quick to grab the phone from him and turn off the message playback so he could pull him into a comforting hug. "Don't you blame yourself for one second."

"I-I didn't know I was hurting them," Sora quietly sobbed into Riku's shoulder. "I'm so sorry. I didn't know. I'm so sorry."

"Of course you didn't know. I'm sure none of them blame you for it, either. It sounds like they just want to make sure that you're okay."

Sora pulled back to wipe his eyes with the backs of both his fists. "But...but I'm not. What do I tell them?"

"Then, I guess you tell them the truth. Or...we can tell them the truth together if you want."

Sora sniffled as his heart continued to ache with guilt. "Y-yeah, I think that'd be best."

"But you're going to be the one to tell them you put the phones on silent mode. I'm not taking the fall for that one!" Riku warned as he poked Sora on the tip of the nose.

"Alright, alright! I'll take responsibility," Sora giggled and wiped away the rest of his tears. "But let's not do this on camera phone. I don't want them to see me like this."

"Fair enough. But we'll use your phone to call them so I can show you how to do it. No better time to learn, right?" Riku smirked. 

Riku took a couple of minutes to show Sora how to turn off the camera phone option for his calls and how to turn it back on again if he wished. After a few trial runs where Riku had Sora call him so they could practice, Sora felt much better and used his new phone skills to call Roxas first.

"Sora?"

Immediately Sora's throat felt tight, but Riku assured him by squeezing his hand gently. "Roxas...I...I'm sorry I...Are you okay?"

"Heh, I should be asking you that question. Are you alright?" Roxas asked softly.

"I'm okay now. Xigbar attacked me last night," Sora answered solemnly, surprising Riku with how quickly he revealed it to Roxas.

"Did you kick his ass?"

"Haha, you know it," Sora tried to smile but to be honest he couldn't really remember.

"Good. Glad to hear it."

"Listen...I really am sorry that I haven't been answering your texts. I just...it hurts. I don't know how else to explain it."

"Hey, it's okay. I haven't had a heart for very long, but I know having one can hurt sometimes and we don't always know why. And I also know that you'll come to us when you're ready. So I wasn't especially worried...well, not until last night."

"I'm...I'm so sorry I put you through that. Has it always...?"

"It's been happening for some time now."

"I'm so sorry. You shouldn't have been put through that." He almost couldn't stand how softly Roxas spoke. How understanding he was. He didn't know why, but he almost wanted Roxas to be mad at him, to yell at him, anything. He felt so guilty, he wanted to be punished somehow, anything to make this heavy feeling in his heart go away. Hot tears that he had been struggling to swallow away start streaming silently down his face.

"Don't be sorry. I'm not."

"You're not?"

"Of course not, Sora. We love you. If it weren't for you, some of us wouldn't even be here. And I know that none of us would give up our connection to you for the world. I'm honored to share your hurt with you, Sora. So please, don't be sorry. You've done so much for us. But now it's time you worry about yourself and let us help you with your burdens. Yes, even if that means feeling some of your pain."

He couldn't take it anymore. He clutched his chest and quietly sobbed as fat tears rolled down his cheeks. It felt like a floodgate had been opened. Feelings he didn't know he had been keeping bottled up began pouring out all at once. He felt liberated but also terrified. "Roxas...I'm scared. I worry that I'm not strong enough."

"And even if you're not...we'll make up the difference. Right?"

"Right..." Sora's eyes widened as his own words from the top of the San Fransokyo bridge were repeated to him.

"We're with you, Sora. Even if we're apart."

"I know. Thanks, Roxas." He sniffed hard in an effort to regain some composure. But all it did was make him feel like even more of a mess.

"I do wish we could help out somehow. But I guess it's best we stay put. Apparently we're a liability."

"Huh?"

He explained what Isa had told him while Sora stole glances at Riku whose face confirmed it was the truth. Roxas spoke like he understood and accepted the situation but it was clear by the shift in tone of his voice that he wasn't happy about it. Sora frowned and Riku inwardly sighed. He was present for the decision but even he didn't have much input on the matter. But then he was struck with an idea. "Roxas, you all worked together in the Organization for a while, right? Is there any information you can give us about Xigbar?"

"I guess..." Roxas's tone was VERY different and very pointed when responding to Riku and Sora had to stifle a laugh.

"You guess?" Sora asked to help Riku out who was already beginning to frown.

"Well I've regained most of my memories, including the ones from my time with the organization, and so has Xion. So between us, Axel, and Isa, we could see if there's anything you guys don't already know."

"And Ven...Ven knows something, too," Sora said and looked to Riku. "I have a bad feeling. I wonder if it's safe for all of them?"

"What do you mean?" Roxas asked.

"Xigbar mentioned you...and Riku too. He said it was hard to track where I am so he and this Master guy might come after you three in order to get to me," Sora explained.

"WAIT!" Lea's voice rang over the phone. He must've been listening the whole time. "What was he saying about Roxas?"

Sora and Riku were caught by surprise. "Uh..." Sora stammered. "What he said isn't important. Just the fact that he mentioned him at all seems more important to me."

Roxas could be heard groaning as if he could already guess what Xigbar actually said. "Sora's right. It might not be safe for us here for much longer."

"You're not getting out of your midterms, Roxas," Lea pointed out.

"I'm not saying--" Roxas tried to argue in the background. A scuffle could be heard and suddenly Lea's voice was much clearer.

"We can hold down the fort until they finish their tests. It's only for another week. After that, we can take them to Yen Sid's tower and discuss what to do then," Lea compromised.

"Mid-terms?" Sora asked. "I didn't realize you were going back to school, Roxas."

Roxas snatched the phone back. "Yeah, well, it was something Xion and I always wanted to do. Naminé is going with us too."

"Wow, I think that's great!" Sora cheered. "Well, good luck on your midterms."

"You guys call Yen Sid and arrange the meet-up and let us know when you want us to be there. We have some business to finish up here and then we're heading back to Olympus for an errand," Riku added.

"Alright, sounds like a plan," Roxas responded.

"Right. Also I gotta make more calls. Could you..." Sora stumbled.

"I'll let Xion know you called," Roxas finished for him.

"Thanks, Roxas. I'll see all of you soon," Sora promised before hanging up. He let out a long exhale and wiped the salty remnants of tears from his face.

"You alright?" Riku asked while handing him a blue handkerchief with an embroidered R to wipe his face with.

"Y-yeah. I feel better, actually. Wait, do you always carry a handkerchief?"

"What, you going to hanky-shame me?"

"Eh...what?"

"Nothing."

"Did you just say "hanky-shame"?"

"No."

"YOU DID!"

"There's one in all our pockets, Sora," Riku explained with growing irritation.

"There is?" Sora dug really deep down into his pockets and sure enough he had a matching red one with an embroidered S. "Aw, that's cute."

Riku snatched his back since Sora clearly had one. "How much stuff do you have in your pockets to not notice?"

"You don't want to go into that," Sora insisted. "Thank the good fairies for magical pockets." He chuckled as he wiped his eyes with his newly found handkerchief.

"You're probably right about that. Ready to call Kairi next?"

Sora's stomach growled loudly and he clutched his stomach in embarrassment. "Uh..."

Before Riku could even laugh, his own stomach growled as well. "Think you can call her yourself while I grab us something to eat?"

Sora smiled and kissed Riku on the cheek. "Yeah, I'll be okay."

A soft blush rose to Riku's cheeks as he returned the affection with a sweet peck on Sora's forehead. "I'll be right back," he promised before heading out.

Sora smiled while he watched Riku leave and waited until he could no longer hear the soft thumps of Riku's boots on the wooden floors before he turned back to stare at his phone. With a deep breath he scrolled down to Kairi's number in his missed call history and hit the icon next to her name.

"Sora?"

"Hey, Kairi."

"Sora! Are you okay? We were all so worried about you! Why weren't you two answering your phones???"

Sora held the phone away from his ear as she threatened to blow out his ear drums with the volume of her frantic questioning. "I'm sorry! It was all my fault. I'm the one who put the phones on silent. I...WE had a rough night and well...I thought we needed to look after ourselves for a bit." He explained what happened with Xigbar and how he had a very large crystal removed from his body, of course leaving out a few details here and there.

"Based on what Xion was describing, I figured you were in a lot of pain. I'm back in Radiant Garden at the moment. We were having a sleepover while I helped her and Naminé with their midterm homework."

"Wait, you were still enrolled in school this entire time? Are your midterms done?"

"Well I did a lot of cram school to catch up what I missed out on so I'm actually far enough ahead that I was able to take off the rest of the semester. I'll be back in school after the summer, though."

"Oh...When did you have time for--"

"Back to the subject at hand, Sora," Kairi interrupted. "Are you okay?"

Sora grit his teeth. That question again. "No," he answered honestly. "But I think I'm getting better."

"Well, that's good," Kairi responded softly. "Thank you for calling me back, Sora. I know this has been hard. Just please know, I'm not mad at you. None of us are."

"Kairiiii! You're going to make me cry again," Sora pleaded.

"You've been crying??"

"Of course I have!" Sora sniffled. "I'm not made of stone!"

"Aww, Sora. None of us have ever thought that."

"Thanks, I guess," Sora huffed playfully to which Kairi giggled. "Keep an eye on them for me, will you?"

"Don't worry, I will. You and Riku look after each other. I'll see you soon."

"Right. Thanks, Kairi."

"Take care, Sora."

"You too, Kairi." Sora hung up and released a long breath as he dabbed at his eyes. Where was Riku with that food? "I get so emotional when I'm hungry!" he whined.

"I don't think that's the reason," Riku teased as he suddenly entered the room with a trolley full of food.

Though the food was covered to keep it warm, Sora could already smell sausage, pancakes, scrambled eggs, and toast and it took every ounce of self-control he had to keep from leaping at the trolley. "It smells amazing!"

"Stay right there, I'll bring you the tray," Riku told him. He didn't want Sora exerting himself just yet as he uncovered both trays and poured Sora a glass of water to go with his meal before bringing it over to him.

Sora waited obediently and politely waited for Riku to join him with his own food before digging in. Riku had generously dumped syrup all over his pancakes and he dived for those first, stuffing his face happily. "Omahgaaaaaawsh, so good!" he praised.

"Chew properly before you choke," Riku scolded playfully as he got started on his eggs.

The brunette just chuckled and before he knew it, he had devoured the entire feast that Riku had gotten for him and was reaching over with his fork to try and steal his boyfriend's eggs.

"You're STILL hungry?" Riku asked though he let Sora have a few bites of his eggs since he was already getting full. Then again, he figured he shouldn't be too surprised after all that happened last night. The poor keyblade wielder must've exerted a lot of energy last night considering everything he had gone through.

"Heeee~" the brunette kissed Riku on the cheek to thank him for the eggs before nomming. "Don't worry, I'm saving room for those pretzels."

"Oh, of course."

"Did you get a chance to see Elsa?" Sora asked while he nibbled on a piece of toast that Riku offered him.

"Yeah, apparently they have crates full of those bandages she made for you so I did a few warps to get them to the gummi ship while the chef made us some breakfast."

"Wow, you work fast," Sora praised.

"Yeah, wish I remembered to bring my coat, though. It seems to have gotten colder."

"Maybe it'll warm up by the afternoon."

"Maybe. So did you call Kairi? Ready to call Ven next?"

"Oh yeah!" Sora used a cloth napkin to wipe his mouth off, now having ensured both of them have completely cleaned their trays. 

Riku smiled at him as he fumbled for his phone as Sora has seemed to cheer up even if his eyes were still a little puffy from crying earlier. After he put everything back on the trolley and rejoined him, he brushed some of the hair out of Sora's eyes. "You haven't spoken to him in a while. Are you going to be alright? We can take a break and call him later if you want."

Sora shook his head gently. "No. It's okay. I'll call him now," he said determined. "Aqua seemed really worried."

Riku nodded and wrapped sat behind Sora to wrap his arms around him comfortingly. Sora sighed happily and leaned back into Riku while he thumbed through the list of contacts on his phone and selected Ven's name.

"I know how to work it, Terra! Come on, it's my phone! Great, now I don't know who's calling. Hello?"

Sora chuckled, "Ven! It's Sora!"

"Sora! How are you feeling? I had a dream about you and I got worried!"

Sora went over what happened for the third time. The retelling draining him more than he expected it to. "But don't worry! As you can tell, I'm safe and sound. But what about you? Aqua said she was worried about you."

"I...I think I may have seen this Master of Masters before. But I can't remember. There's a lot about who I am and where I came from that I don't know. I didn't always live with Aqua and Terra, you see. Nor was I always with Master Xehanort," Ven explained.

"I see. Well, there was something we wanted to ask you," Sora told him all about how he could be in danger due to how closely his heart is linked to Sora's and how they decided they should all meet up at Yen Sid's to put their heads together at some point.

"That doesn't sound like a bad idea," Ven agreed. "We'll call Yen Sid and see what's up. But in the meantime, take care of yourself, okay? I'll look forward to seeing you again."

"Right. Same to you, Ven."

When Sora hung up, he realized Riku had fallen asleep with his chin resting on top of Sora's head. "Riku?" Sora quietly checked.

"I wasn't sleeping," Riku protested.

"You clearly were."

"Was not."

"Were too."

"...Was not."

Sora giggled and reached up to fluff Riku's hair. "Well I think we're all done returning calls."

"Hmm," Riku hummed as he leaned his head into Sora's wandering hand.

"Are you tired?"

"No, I'm fine. Just too comfortable."

Sora felt a blush rise to his cheeks and smiled. "Should we...I dunno...get up and do something?"

"Well what do you want to do?"

"I guess I want to check on the springs and see if we have any good news to deliver to Anna and Elsa. The sooner we complete our objective, the sooner we can have our date, right?"

"Right," Riku smiled and offered a hand to Sora to help him stand.

Sora took it gratefully as he rose unsteadily to his feet. As he did so, he heard a sound rush to his ears. "Do you hear that?"

"Hear what?" Riku asked, still holding Sora's hand in his.

"I dunno. The ocean, maybe?" Sora walked over to the window whose shutters had remained partially closed this whole time and opened them to look outside. From where their room was, they could see the mess of ice that was created last night was mostly cleared away and what hadn't been removed was being harvested by ice gatherers.

Riku looked out the window with him. "Wow, the queen works fast."

"Hmm..." Sora hummed thoughtfully but a soft sound was still reaching his ears, almost like singing but not quite. "We should get going. I have a weird feeling if we overstay our welcome we'd be meddling."

"Uh, sure," Riku blinked as he watched Sora cross his arms seemingly in deep thought. "There should be a warp point we can use to reach the springs by now."

"Good, let's use that," Sora nodded as he grabbed his coat.

After locking Sora's chest plate back on and getting dressed for the weather, the two quietly left the castle to resume their mission. They utilized the warp zone and it conveniently warped them to the entrance of the hot spring clearing. The two walked around and looked about warily for any signs of heartless. Riku took note of how Sora was unconsciously taking the lead even though he was stiff in his movements. The serious look on his face from the bedroom was still there and quite frankly it was starting to make Riku feel a little uneasy, though he wasn't sure why. It wasn't like Sora was incapable of being serious, clearly. But the brunette seemed spooked by something. The two seemingly remained on the same page, however, as they kept silent while listening for any signs of heartless. The elder keyblade wielder didn't sense a trace after a while and eventually relaxed his guard but observed Sora hadn't. "I think the area's clear," Riku finally said and looked over at Sora who doesn't seem to have heard him as he's now looking up at the trees. "Sora?" he asked but still no answer. Sora seemed to be in his own world as his eyes flitted back and forth between the trees.

_A voice. I can hear it. But it's not Elsa's._ Sora thought to himself as he could hear a very soft and distant voice going in and out of his ears like a mournful whisper. Every time he tried to hold his breath and listen it felt like it was getting harder to hear. Whatever it was, he was beginning to think it was a voice he wasn't meant to hear as the wind picked up and dozens of red fallen leaves flew around on the breeze. Just then, something cold and wet collided with the side of his head and he spun around to see Riku armed with another snowball to throw at him. "Hey! What's the big idea?" Sora laughed as he brushed the snow out of his hair and kicked some snow off the ground to spray Riku with.

Riku raised his arm to shield his face from the flying snow that Sora kicked up. "You were in la la land! I called your name twice!" Riku laughed as he chucked the other snowball at Sora but intentionally missed so that it hit the ground next to him.

Sora had flinched to dodge the next snowball but chuckled sheepishly when it landed on the ground, "Sorry. I was just thinking. But anyway, I don't see any heartless around."

Just as Riku was about to agree, the two heard a rumbling sound that sounded like rolling boulders. As it got louder and louder, the two summoned their keyblades as they prepared to defend themselves but were greeted by the arrival of a group of talking boulders dressed in strange clothes made of grass and leaves and covered in moss. "Uh...?" Sora lowered his guard slightly. He didn't recognize them, but they didn't give off a threatening aura or anything like a heartless.

"Anybody you know, Sora?" Riku asked.

"Not at all--HEY!" Before Sora could even ask any questions, there was a bang and a flash of blinding light that rendered the both of them unconscious.

_So many falling stars--all those lights pouring down like rain._

_"What if a falling star hits the islands, Riku?"_

_"If any stars come this way, I'll just hit 'em back into outer space! I'll always keep you safe!"_

"It's worse than we thought!"  
"This boy is dying!"  
"This may be his best chance!"  
"The other one's in better shape, but we can help him too!"  
"Why won't it come off??"

Sora opened his eyes to seemingly pitch black nothingness but he could feel small hard hands tugging at his clothing. He groaned and tried to swat them away but became alarmed as he realized he couldn't move his limbs. "HEY! What gives!?"

"Leave him alone!" Riku's voice rang from somewhere out in the dark and Sora could hear him bolting towards him while summoning his keyblade and the little creatures fled fearing for their lives.

"Riku! Wait!" Sora called out. "Don't hurt them!"

"Sora!" the teen dismissed his keyblade and knelt by Sora's side. "Are you--?"

"I can't move," Sora explained. "Where the heck are we? I can't see anything!"

"What did you do to him?" Riku called out to the darkness.

Sora could only crane his neck and look around, only able to make out Riku's teal eyes in the dark. His other senses began kicking in desperately. He felt uncovered for sure. He felt like he was lying on a bed of soft grass based on the way the blades tickled the back of his neck but he also felt exposed as a gentle gust of wind blew through. He was aware of his necklace still around his neck but something told him that he was bare everywhere else except for his chest plate. Another gentle gust and Sora could hear the rustling of trees with very low-hanging branches. Squinting through the dark, they appeared to be willow trees from the way he could barely see their hanging branches swaying to and fro. Something else was grazing and twitching against his face, something he couldn't contribute to the grass or the wind but it was soft and fluttery. "Riku!" he called out. "I don't think they mean any harm!"

"The young man is right!" called a voice from somewhere behind Sora. "We just want to help."

"Help? He can't move and you've taken his clothes!" Riku shouted angrily. "And you removed his bandages!"

"Wait, Riku, you can see? What's going on?"

Riku placed a hand on Sora's shoulder to calm him. The simple touch worked and the brunette kept quiet. As he listened, he could hear the sounds of the mysterious figures shuffling forward through the grass. Many of them were wearing small glowing crystals that dimly illuminated the thick darkness. They were definitely the strange stone creatures that they saw just before they fell unconscious. The one adorned with the most yellow crystals approached the closest to him and Riku. As he drew closer, Sora could see in the faint light that Riku was left only with his trousers on. As much as Sora wanted to cry out indignantly, it was still too dark to see his own extremities and if nobody else was going to make a big deal of it, he decided he wasn't going to, if anything to save face. Then again, Riku was clearly angry enough for the both of them.

"Who are you? What is this place? Where have you taken us?" Riku demanded.

"Long ago after the age of fairy tales, the world was shattered and revived through the light that remained in the hearts of children. Legend has it that the very spring you're in is made from the tears of those children whose light created our world. It is the most potent source of healing you could possibly hope to find in this world. And we, the trolls, have watched over it for eons. They call me Pabbie."

Sora's eyes widened in recognition of the story. It was a tale that he had heard before when Kairi's heart resided in his for a time. Amazing how the tale seemed to be told similarly across worlds despite how different each and every one of them were.

Riku eyed them all suspiciously, "And you're trying to help us? From what we've heard, hundreds have come looking for this spring. What makes us so special?"

"You've cleared away the darkness that has blighted these woods without expecting anything in return. We wish to thank you. And besides, we know the fate of our world and many others may one day rest in your hands. We can't have you leaving here without offering some help," the elder troll insisted. "We've heard word that the hero who helped Anna and Elsa was very hurt and we can see that you're hurt as well. Please allow us to help."

Riku looked down to Sora and he smiled back. "I feel like we can trust them, Riku. If they wanted to hurt us, they would've done it already."

"Sora..." Riku turns his head and looks around. As he blinks through the darkness, he sees they're in what looks like a dense grove of willow trees with a lone pond in the middle. It's humid and there's a heat radiating from the pond. He can't see much else through the steam coming off of the pond, but for a source of this world's light, it sure was dark in here. The trees were so tall and the branches were so numerous and dense it was like being in a cave. It all felt so surreal. If they refused these trolls' help, would they even be allowed to leave? Even he wasn't sure they'd be able to find their way out on their own. But if Sora says they can trust them, then that's what they'll do. After all, he'd do anything to try and help him. "Tell me what we have to do."

"You'll need to carry Sora to the center of the pond without anything covering him from the neck down or it won't work. The pond resonates with the light of those who wade in it. Anything that's covered won't be healed. It also requires absolute trust and vulnerability. Which is why Sora is unable to move. It requires an act of faith."

Almost immediately Riku was against the idea and Sora could sense it by the way Riku's grip tightened on his shoulder. "Riku...?"

The elder teen's brow furrowed in thought. "You said we have to be uncovered from the neck down?"

"Correct," the troll nodded.

Riku sighed and dug into his pocket to pull out the thin strip of black cloth that he's been using as a blindfold for Sora and fastens it around his head, which caused the brunette to make a noise of protest. "Wait, Riku--"

"It's this or nothing, Sora," Riku stated shortly.

Sora immediately quieted and remained silent as he felt Riku undo the fastenings on his chest plate and unravel the new bandages that Elsa and Anna had made for him. Soon Sora was left with nothing but his necklace and blindfold and he heard Riku shed the rest of his own clothing before crossing Sora's arms over his own chest and scooping him up in his strong arms. The keyblade master lifted him with practiced grace and cradled him gently against his warm chest before carefully walking towards the pond. The brunette's head rested against Riku's shoulder and he could tell by the way Riku walked that he was extremely tense. Even so, Sora couldn't think of anything to say, still sort of gob smacked at how short Riku was with him a second ago. Though the air was warm, he felt himself trembling in Riku's grip just as he heard Riku's feet enter the water. It was then that he realized how strange the texture of his chest felt. Riku had crossed Sora's arms over himself, no doubt out of habit from when Sora was asleep so his arms didn't flop everywhere while being carried. But Sora's awake this time and for the first time since he's woken up, his hands were actually touching his own chest. It was a texture he didn't recognize. There were gaps and parts that felt leathery but also smooth and soft strips. There were areas that felt numb but also areas that felt cold and hot. He trembled even more he continued to marvel in the unfamiliar landscape that was his own chest pressed against the skin of his arms. But just as he felt Riku take another step into the pond and his own toes touch the surface of the water, Riku stopped.

The silver-haired teen could feel Sora shaking and looked down at him, "Sora? Are you scared?"

"I-I'm fine. Let's keep going," he insisted.

Riku sighed and held him tighter, leaning his head down to kiss Sora's forehead before adjusting his grip and continuing forward. The bottom of the pond was soft and silty but beneath the layer of what he assumed to be mud he felt a bed of smooth pebbles. With every step forward he moved cautiously so as not to slip and fantastically drop the precious bundle in his arms. As they approached the center of the pond, the water rose up Riku's rib cage very quickly and he stopped, lowering Sora just enough that the water came up to his neck. This was about as far as they could go without him losing his grip on Sora. He looked around and waited, but nothing seemed to be happening. "Now what?"

Pabbie's voice called from across the pond, "I told you, already. It takes an act of faith. The rest is up to the two of you."

"An act of faith?" Riku asked out loud. "We're here, aren't we?"

"Riku..." Sora started gently, "He also said it requires absolute trust and vulnerability--"

"No," Riku cut him off. "I know what you're thinking and I can't risk it."

"Riku," Sora shook as tears began welling up behind his blindfold. It scared him how clearly scared Riku was. "Why are you so afraid?"

Riku trembled and gripped Sora tighter to himself. Hot, unshed tears burned his throat and his eyes as he searched for the right words to answer Sora's question. He didn't want to be afraid. But what was making him afraid, really? "What if I do let you see and this doesn't work? I don't...I don't want you to--" he couldn't even say it.

"Are you afraid that I'll give up?" Sora asked. "Do you not trust that I'll keep going?"

"No!" Riku protested. "No, that's not it!"

"Then what?" the brunette pushed gently.

"If you know and they find a way to use it against you, I'm worried that I won't be strong enough to protect you. I'm scared that I'm not strong enough," Riku finally admitted, his shoulders shaking as he held back dry sobs.

"Riku..." Sora choked as he longed to reach out and touch Riku but all he could do is reach him with his heart and try to comfort him that way.

Riku could feel it, Sora's warmth reaching out for him, filling his chest with a wonderful ache. "That's all I've ever wanted...the strength to protect what matters. And then you were nearly taken from me. I don't ever want that to happen again. If I let you see this and I can't protect you from what might happen, I would've failed you all over again."

"Riku, that's not true at all! If something happens to me, it won't be because of any failure on your part! But with you by my side, with us working together, I don't see how either of us could fall. I believe in you. I believe in us. After this, there's no more hiding. Deal?"

Riku chuckled through his sobs. "There you go again. Worming your way past my defenses," he quietly laughed to himself. Orders from Yen Sid be damned. Sora will always come first. 

Sora couldn't help laughing with him, "What do you mean by that?"

"Nothing. Just that...you know I only did this because I love you, right? And I'm doing this now because I believe in you with every fiber of my being," he said softly as he freed one hand from Sora's body to loop one finger under Sora's blindfold.

Sora smiled as he felt the wet finger trace up his cheek and barely tickle his eyelashes beneath the blindfold, "I know. And I love you so, so much. No matter what."

"Alright..." Riku slipped the blindfold off and pulled him close to give him a long kiss for good luck before finally releasing him to allow him to float on his back in the water, keeping his hands hovering nearby just in case.

With every second, rings of light begin rippling across the surface and radiate outwards to the surrounding grove. A soft glow emanates from the pool but it's not enough to light their surroundings. But just when he's about to look down, Sora begins sinking like a rock and the pond's surface begins glowing brighter with a seemingly unnatural light. Riku's first instinct is to scramble in after Sora, but something in his gut stops him from doing so, even as he became unable to see the brunette through the pond's glassy surface. The trolls told him he had to have faith, so he needed to try for Sora's sake. Instead, he chose to hold his own breath and count the seconds that the younger teen stayed under. He could give him one minute.

Meanwhile beneath the surface, Sora could see thanks to the light surrounding him under the water but he couldn't see Riku for some reason. Logically it shouldn't have been this deep, but nevertheless he sank and he could finally see what all the fuss was about as he craned his neck to see his chest. Bubbles escaped his mouth as he gasped in surprise at the gaping gash and scarring all over his chest. It was pretty bad, but it wasn't as bad as he expected. As his arms floated above him, he looked up at the glimmering surface and thought about how bad his injuries must have looked like before; bad enough that Riku and the others didn't want him to see it. He dared to take another glance and could see something red glittering in the black gash in the center of his chest. Was that his heart? _I see, so that's why..._ Just then, a black, inky substance began rushing forth from the wound and began filling the pond, cloaking it in darkness again. He tried not to panic because it wouldn't do any good as he couldn't move his body anyway. But it was hard not to feel scared, especially now that he was beginning to hear voices and the water that once felt warm was beginning to feel colder and colder by the second. He closed his eyes and did his best to shut the voices out but they only resumed to get louder and louder as they forced him to relive some of his worst and most confusing memories.

Riku gasped as the water turned an inky black and called out to Sora, but his voice was drowned out by cackling voices that filled the air all around him. The air became filled with a fine red mist that morphed into shapes and visions both familiar and unfamiliar against the dark void that was the dense forest. Something seems to be going wrong. The voices echoed from all directions, voices he recognized along with Sora's own voice. As each one reached his ears, he could feel a wrenching in his heart through his connection with Sora. Were these Sora's memories?

"Sora, don't ever change." "Let's get on the raft and go, just the two of us!"  
"What? What's gotten into you?"

"Why would it choose a kid like you?"

"FOOLISH BOY!" "ANNOYING SPECK!"

"You were just the delivery boy."

"Darkness is the heart's true essence!"

"You don't look like you're half the hero the others were."

"I hate you SO MUCH!"  
"You should share that hatred with Sora. He's much too nice for his own good."  
"NO! MY HEART BELONGS TO ME!"

"Riku, are you sure you're not jealous of Sora?"

"This could've easily been the other way around."  
"You're your own person, Roxas."  
"See, Sora, that's why it has to be you."

"Aw, did Pete saying mean things get to ya?"  
"It's okay, I can take it."

"Just keep following your heart, Sora, and you'll soon receive your reward."

"I'm sure she knows how much you love her. It's like when Riku disappeared. He thought he had to push me away to protect me."

"Ah...love. A dreadful bond! And yet so easily severed!" "What does a whelp like you know about the heart?" "Tell me, William Turner: Do you fear death?"  
"Heady tonic, holding life and death in the palm of one's hand." "Cruel is a matter of perspective."  
"Is it?"  
"AAAAAAAHHHH!!!" "Jack! Can't we save him!?"

"SUFFER!"

"You can't do anything without us, Sora!"

"Here! Tomorrow will be our toughest fight yet. I thought it could be lucky for us."  
"Kairi, I'll keep you safe."  
"No, let me keep _you_ safe."

"You will all be torn heart from body!"

"No, there's no saving you."

"Give it up, Sora!"

"GIVE UP!"

"Sora, your time in this world is--!"

"SUBMIT!"

"GIVE IN TO DARKNESS!"

The voices hissed in and out of Riku's ears at different elevating volumes. It was like being verbally assaulted by every villain Sora's ever come across. Riku even felt pricks of guilt in his own heart as he heard his own voice mixed in with them. As familiar faces, friends and foes, weaved in and out of Riku's vision, Sora's voice suddenly cut through them all loud and clear. But it was a voice that was somehow unsure and felt almost intimate. As if they were memories of his own personal thoughts.

"Is this what it means to love someone?"  
"When you care about somebody this deeply, is it _that_ kind of love?"  
"I don't understand it. But I'm trying so hard."  
"Are Riku and I like that?"

Riku clenched his fists as he was beginning to feel overwhelmed by the waves of emotion that were cascading over his heart. Sora really had been thinking about it long and hard, just like he said. All this time while he'd been going through unspeakable things, he kept stopping to wonder what love was all about. He truly was something.

"Alone, I'm worthless..."  
"Sora, you don't believe that. I know you don't."

"I'm afraid no one else arrived with you."

"Even if you do find Kairi, you may never return home to us again!"

"You'veperformedatabooagainstnature!Youwillvanishfromthisworld!"  
"I don't care, I know that this is all I can do right now!"

_Wait! What was that voice?_ Riku whipped his head around in an attempt to find the vision to match the voice but with so many faces weaving back and forth, it was beginning to become impossible to distinguish one red astral projection from the other and there were now so many more that he didn't recognize.

"You finally found the hearts connected to yours and so, so much more. Well done, Sora. Now it's time for you to receive your reward."

_That one was Xigbar for sure!_ Riku grit his teeth. _How many seconds has it been? How much longer is this going to go on?_ Riku was beginning to fear the worst as the trolls claimed the pond is supposed to resonate with the light in their hearts but its reactions seem to be all over the place! But just when Riku was about to dive down and retrieve Sora, light began bursting from the pond and completely dismissed all the red visions. Sora's voice continued to ring through the air, now sounding much less ominous and much more determined.

"They can take your world. They can take your heart. Cut you loose from all you know. But if it's your fate...then every step forward will always be a step closer to home."

"I don't need a weapon. My friends are my power!"

"The heart may be weak and sometimes it may even give in. But deep down I've learned there's a light that never goes out!"

"I know the keyblade didn't choose me, and I don't care. I'm proud to be a small part of something bigger--the people it did choose!"

"I could hear your voice the entire time. Thanks, Riku."

"I may not know a lot about love, but I know what it means to share my heart with others. And it will take more than you to break a bond like that!"

"I know what I need to do."

"This will take all my heart."

"Our hearts are all connected."

"Look for the light in the darkness!"

Finally, Sora's head emerges from the water and he thrashes desperately as he sputters and takes a few gulps of air, afraid that he might be taken back under. But Riku swoops in quickly and grabs a hold of him. "Sora!" But just before Riku can ask if he's okay, Sora clings to him tightly, now finally able to move. "Riku!"

"I've got you!" Riku assured him as he wrapped his arms tightly around him. He needn't have worried as the actual bottom of the pond seemed to have returned and they could both stand properly but what just happened was very frightening for the both of them and they needed to assure each other they were okay. As they held each other close, more ripples of light started cascading on the water's surface, radiating outward toward the surrounding grass and lighting up the glen with its soft glowing colors. The grass erupted with splashes of neon lights to reveal that it was covered with thousands of colorful butterflies that took off and flew all around them just as the branches of willow trees lit up as if each branch was lit with bright purple fairy lights. The stones surrounding the pond lit blue and all the purle, blue, pink, and green lights emanating from the nature around them danced on the mist enveloping everything. Another breeze washed over them and the whistling through the branches sang like delicate wind chimes as their heart song began ringing in their ears. Riku looked down and gently pried away from Sora to see his chest was lit with a brilliant white light as it slowly began closing right before his very eyes. "Sora!"

"Riku!" Sora smiled up at him through his tears of happiness and reached up to cup Riku's cheeks with his hands as he breathlessly took in the sight of his silver hair dancing in the breeze while they were surrounded by neon butterflies and whistling fairy-lit trees. "Riku, you've always been there to light my way. You're my light," he whispered.

"And you've always been mine too, Sora," Riku whispered back before lifting Sora by the waist to capture his lips in a long, soft kiss. As he leaned back to support Sora's weight, he realized the constant dull pain in his hip had all but vanished and where his hands rested on Sora's lower back had something hard pressing into his palm.

Sora realized it at the same time, but for once it didn't hurt so he allowed himself to continue reveling in their kiss as he kept his arms braced around Riku's shoulders and felt something large slowly phase through his lower back and into Riku's waiting hand. It was just then that a very cold gust of air flurried around them, forcing them to open their eyes and realize they were back where they were originally, only very naked, very wet, and standing amongst their clothes in disarray all over the stone slabs that surrounded the hot springs.

Riku gently put Sora down and looked at the crystal in his hand. It was about two inches wide and as black as coal. Sora looked down at it in awe as he rubbed his lower back, now beginning to feel his old pain return to him. "Jeez, that came out of me?"

"I guess they are clustering together like we originally thought," Riku murmured and finally looked Sora over properly. "Sora, your chest!"

"Wuh??" Sora looked down and felt himself up, the hole in his chest had completely closed up but there was still a considerable amount of red and white scar tissue all over his front along with the old ones from before.

"How do you feel?" Riku asked as he picked up his satchel to shove that damned crystal into the jar with the others.

"Cold and exposed," Sora replied bluntly, but he was smiling all the same. "It still twinges a bit."

Riku slowly reached out to touch him and Sora allowed it. The new flesh certainly did seem thin and delicate. "What do you think?" he asked softly.

"I think...I could still be vulnerable," Sora admitted as he grabbed Riku's fingers from his chest and raised them to his lips to kiss the tips. "So I'll keep wearing the plate, just in case," he smiled. "But I want to be able to take it off whenever I want," he added.

"Then we'll go to Olympus and see if we can't have that arranged," Riku smiled and pulled Sora into another hug.

"You know," Sora said softly, "I'm not as scared of it as I thought I would be. I don't know how to explain it but it's like...something like this should've killed me but you and the others kept me alive in spite of it. It's like a reminder that we can do anything together."

"That's...a very nice way of thinking about it," Riku smiled and kissed his forehead. "But I'm still pissed that it even happened."

"Oh yeah! Totally!" Sora quickly agreed and the two of them laughed.

"Yooohooooooooo~" a voice called out from one of the nearby pools, startling the two. What they see is a very goofy-looking snowman chilling out in a bath! "Isn't this place grand! Oh I love visiting here! But shhh, don't tell Anna and Elsa. It's where I go to escape the craziness of castle life. Politics can be so crazy. It'll give you gray hair, trust me."

"Sora...there's another talking snow man."

"Olaf!" Sora greeted. Sure enough, it was Olaf chilling in the hot spring with his permafrost coating.

"Oh hi, Sora! And...Sora's friend! Long time no see! Hey, you wouldn't happen to know who those clothes belong to, would you? I'd hate for their owners to catch cold."


	25. Time to Spend, Time to Mend

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> All sides plan their next move.

"What do you mean his heart wasn't there? How did you check?" the Master of Masters asked with exasperation.

"I told you. I got my hands dirty and took a look for myself!" Xigbar explained with just as much exasperation, if not more.

"What!? Ew! I didn't think you meant literally! That's so gross!"

Xigbar just stared at him with his single eye before sighing and continuing, "Anyway, so it wasn't there. Then the Queen launched him into the woods and--what now?"

"Nothing. Still thinking about you digging around in the kid's guts for his heart. When did you get so icky?"

" . . . " It took everything Xigbar to had to keep from pointing out the Master's hypocrisy.

"Okay, so the Queen sent him into orbit--wow, that's a sentence, and then?"

"And then I heard music coming from where the kid landed."

"Uh-huuuuuuh?" the Master tilted his head to the side as if wondering what that has to do with anything.

"He had some kind of music box. When I got there, I saw something for maybe a split second, but I think it was his heart going back to his body! There was a quick flash and poof! He was back to normal!"

"So this scary form of his just wore off. So what?"

"Master, if he's able to do this at will, what's to keep him from hiding his heart the next time?"

"Uh...that MIGHT be a problem," the Master conceded, "But if he had the power to do so, why didn't he use it against us before?"

"To be fair, I think he had. He was using it to fight off that last wave of lich that we sent after him. Maybe he ran out of gas."

"Then we'll just do that again next time!"

"He dived about a dozen times and fought off more heartless than I can ever hope to count before he even got to that state. Sora's a little thick sometimes, but to his credit he's not an idiot. There's no way we can lure him through that kind of gauntlet again!"

"...Does he know any other princesses?"

"Think I might have another solution. I'm about 55% sure that whatever that little tune is calls Sora's heart back to him. I don't know what it is or what the deal is, but it seems important, important enough that it affects Master Riku as well."

"That's the dumbest thing I've ever heard. Almost as dumb as that crap you fed me about him summoning roller coasters out of thin air."

"I'M TELLING YOU IT'S THE TRUTH! Heck, tonight he summoned a merry-go-round!"

"Come onnnnnn!"

"Master, please! You've seen how he fought Xehanort. This kid is a wonder. His heart has been through so much that his abilities have evolved in ways I've never even seen before."

"I know...that's why I want it." The Master's voice had gotten much more serious.

"I know you do. So when I'm telling you that my gut has a good feeling about this, you can trust me."

"And you're sure it's not just a coincidence that his heart came back at the same time that thing started playing? I know music moves people, but if retrieving hearts was as easy as playing somebody's favorite song, we wouldn't need keyblade masters."

"Hey, maybe it's not just any old song?"

"Oooh~ now you're saying it might be a magical song?" the Master mocked with his hands clasped in front of himself. "Give me a break," he waved Xigbar off.

"Actually, I feel like I've heard it somewhere before. I can't place it, though." 

. . . . . . . . . . 

Once Sora and Riku regathered their bearings and made sure once and for all that the areas in question were clear of heartless, they were treated to a grand tour of Arendelle by Olaf himself. It wasn't exactly the kind of date Sora expected, and he certainly never thought he'd see the day where he'd have a walking, talking snowman as a chaperone, but Riku seemed to be having a good time so he was more than happy to roll with it. Despite not ever eating anything, Olaf certainly did know where all the best places to eat were, and he knew exactly where to find the pretzels that Sora had been smelling ever since he came to Arendelle. Eventually they were even joined by Anna, Elsa, and Kristoff and enjoyed dinner together with outdoor seating near the docks where they could all watch the sunset together while they informed the sisters all about what happened at the hot springs and how the trolls confirmed that the heartless are no longer bothering the area. Kristoff had a twinkle in his eye the entire time Sora and Riku talked about the trolls and the sisters just chuckled nervously as if they weren't surprised at their behavior. 

Sora enjoyed their time together very much, to the point he was almost sad to leave as they watched the sun go down, but he knew they couldn't stay another night. Change was on the way and he knew he and Riku shouldn't be here for it. Besides, they needed to make haste for Olympus as soon as possible so they can be prepared for their next fight. They couldn't risk anything holding them back any more. After the sun went down, the two gave their farewells on the Arendellian bridge and exchanged thank yous and hugs and see you next time's before the pair warped back to the gummi ship.

Once in the cockpit, Sora almost immediately changed the settings of the pilot's seat so that it widened to the size of a love seat and waited for Riku to take his seat as captain before joining him and immediately lying sideways to rest his head in Riku's lap. "Have fun driving!"

"Wait, you're not going to keep me company while I drive?" Riku snorted.

"I'll be keeping you company! With my snoring!" Sora snickered.

"Nuh-uh. You're the one who said we had to leave at sunset so you get to stay awake with me," Riku insisted while he Sora's forehead until his eyes opened. "You can sleep when we get to Olympus."

"Fiiiiiiiiine, but I'm not moving," Sora huffed as he nuzzled into Riku's thigh.

"Fine with me," Riku smiled softly and sifted a hand through Sora's spiky locks before taking control of the ship and lifting off toward their next destination.

Despite promising to stay awake the entire time, Sora fell asleep about halfway through the journey and even Riku was reaching his limit so he put the ship on auto-pilot and carried Sora down to the bunks so they could sleep. It was a little awkward carrying Sora over his shoulder while using the ladder to get down to the lower level of the cabin. However, true to form, Sora didn't even stir, even when Riku plopped him onto the bed like a sack of potatoes. "Wow, you really were worn out," Riku mused while letting out a big yawn himself before lazily kicking off his shoes and shedding his jacket. After checking one more time that everything was in order, he crawled into the bunk with Sora and spooned the smaller teen, quickly falling asleep himself.

The journey must've been pretty uneventful because by the time Riku awoke, they had arrived at Olympus and seemed to have been hovering for a fair amount of time. He tried to shake Sora awake but the boy didn't even stir and just kept quietly snoring without a care in the world. With a sigh, Riku debated just letting him sleep but Sora needed his bandages changed and it wouldn't be safe to let him sleep on the ship alone, would it? "Sora?" he shook him again and yet Sora's eyelids didn't even twitch. He reached through their connection and found Sora was genuinely sleeping soundly, probably for the first time in a while. Riku could only sigh and give the sleeping teen a small smile before getting to work undressing him properly and giving him a fresh set of bandages before tucking him back under the sheets, sans his chest plate. "Fine, you sleep," Riku gave in and pressed a soft kiss to Sora's temple before getting dressed and climbing the ladder to the cockpit where he asked Chip and Dale to remotely control the ship in case any heartless show up. The two were happy to do so, and once the connection was established, Riku warped down to Mount Olympus to ask for the favor.

Hephaestus, the god of blacksmiths and metalworking, was more than happy to fiddle with the chest plate so that Sora can unclip it himself, but he recommended some other changes as well. He suggested that perhaps it would be more convenient for their purposes in battle if the plate were able to shrink and be tucked away at will and by its own means so as to make equipping and unequipping much easier. Riku thought that was a fantastic idea but the blacksmith warned it could take a little time, at least a couple of days. While he hesitated, the keyblade master decided he didn't want to be afraid anymore, especially if Sora wasn't. If they found a less strenuous assignment for the next couple of days and just lay low, it could be the recharge the two of them need. With that in mind, he agreed and handed over the plate with his thanks before making the quick warp back to the gummi ship. For once, not one bad thing happened. Chip and Dale reported no ship interference of the sort and Sora was still sleeping peacefully.

As Riku checked on him, he gently sat on the corner of the bunk to watch Sora sleep, just reveling in how peaceful he seemed. "Maybe it's a sign..." Riku said softly to himself. Maybe they really can go a couple of days without worry, just this once. But just where should they go? He decided the decision should be left up to Sora, so he made a third attempt to gently shake him awake. "Sora?"

This time Sora finally stirred and turned to look at Riku already dressed and noticed his own re-bandaged state. "Is it morning already?" he yawned. "Have we arrived?" he asked while he fisted the sleep from his eyes.

"Yeah," Riku smiled at his adorable sleepy state and helped wake him up with a soft kiss which caused the other to make a little happy noise before they parted. "How are you feeling?"

"Good," Sora smiled, a soft blush now gracing his cheeks. He sat up and winced as usual as his muscles refused to cooperate but his back did feel slightly more limber. "I'd say the pain's back down to a four," he elaborated. "But with these new bandages from Elsa, I feel a lot lighter!"

"That's good news! I'm happy to hear that. You seemed to have slept very well too. Took you forever to wake up," he teased lightly while gently poking Sora in the side, making the teen eep and scooch away as he giggled.

"How long is forever, exactly?" Sora giggled. "Are we already at Olympus?"

"We've been here for a while. It's almost late afternoon. I already took your plate to get modified and everything. And speaking of which, it's going to take a couple of days, but I think you're really going to like the changes. In the meantime, we should probably head someplace much calmer and maybe recharge a bit. Any suggestions?"

Sora pulled up his knee and rested his chin on it in thought. "Hm...calm...well, if the organization is gone for the most part, that should mean fewer nobodies around, right?"

"I guess that logic would check out, yeah," Riku leaned back on the bunk as he listened.

"Well, the Kingdom of Corona is beautiful, and with their princess Rapunzel back where she belongs, I'm sure the heartless in the area have decreased dramatically. Plus, there were more nobodies than heartless anyway, and Marluxia was the one controlling them. So I think that'd be a great place to go," Sora suggested.

"The Kingdom of Corona, huh?" Riku smiled as he saw the way Sora's eyes lit up when he suggested it. It must be a really nice place. He pulled out his phone and started flipping through it with his thumb. Sora tilted his head in a silent question, to which Riku looked up and answered, "Remember when Yen Sid gave me that schedule?"

Sora deflated slightly, "Yeah...?"

"Well, if it's on the schedule, then that means there are heartless. If it's not, then that's definitely where we should go," Riku smirked.

Sora grinned at the implied mischief, "What's this? Mr. Keyblade Master defying orders?"

"Maaaaybe," he grinned. "Then again, maybe I'm not. After all, you're the number one priority. Everything else is secondary, including the schedule."

"Hehe, I guess that's true, if that's really the case. So is it on the list?"

"Nope, and from what I can tell, we haven't had much correspondence with that world, besides you. So if we do run into anybody, you'll have to be the one making introductions again, unless you want to stay incognito."

"Heh heh, well I don't see any reason to try and hide. The castle town itself is amazing so I'd hate for us to avoid it. Plus, I'm looking forward to seeing Rapunzel again. She reminds me a lot of how we were when we were trying to leave the island. I'd like to see how she's doing."

"Alright, then that's where we're going next. So get dressed and buckle up!"

. - . - . - .

Back in Twilight Town, Roxas, Xion, and Naminé were finishing up the last of their midterm homework. Roxas even managed to pull through at the last minute with a pretty decent project and they were about to wrap up studying together for their midterms before dinner.

"Math is kind of fun when you get used to it," Xion mused as she finished up her notes.

"Glad you're having a good time," Roxas mumbled as he stretched his arms above his head and leaned back in his chair to pop his back almost obscenely. "How about you, Naminé?"

Said blonde looked up from her math notes where she had finished doodling little pictures of Kairi in the margins of the paper that point out where the most important parts were. "Uh, well...it's certainly been a lot," she smiled meekly. "But I think I'm getting the hang of it. I want to do my best so that I can keep being in the same class as you two."

"Don't worry, you've got this. But if anything, I think Xion might leave us in her dust," Roxas laughed.

"Oh no! Should I do badly?" Xion asked in earnest.

"No!! Don't even think about it!" Roxas quickly corrected. "Really, it's great that you're doing so well. We're really happy for you. It just motivates us to work harder. Right, Naminé?"

"That's right!" Naminé smiled brightly.

"You're all doing very well, and you should be proud of yourselves," Axel added as he started bringing in the dishes to set at the table for everybody while the teens finished putting away their books. "School is tough at this age, especially if you've never gone before."

"Lea's right. It's no small feat," Isa added with the barest hint of a smile while he helped set the table. "Though Roxas doesn't have much of an excuse," he added with a smirk.

"Wise guy," Roxas snorted, but he owned it as he helped set the silverware.

Axel just laughed and ruffled Roxas's hair, "Nah, we'll cut you a little slack too. You weren't in the computer for THAT long."

"Yeah. I went to school, but I remember just barely scraping by and it didn't seem nearly this intensive. But studying with friends definitely helps with the homework. I remember doing a summer project with Hayner, Pence, and Olette and we chose to write a paper on the seven wonders of Twilight Town. It was so weird!"

It may have not been that funny at the time, but recounting all the strange glitches of the "other" Twilight Town while they enjoyed a meal together made them all laugh and smile. It took a long time before Roxas was able to talk about that place as casually as this and recount the times he spent with his friends and all of their misadventures. But now he can smile and maybe one day he'll even be able to forgive.

Isa and Axel even shared some of their boyhood school stories. Apparently both of them were actually pretty decent in school, but as a boy, Lea was more sports-driven. "Not that he was particularly good at sports, either," Isa explained, "But he had it in his head that sports players were more remembered than academics."

The other three laughed pretty loudly and Axel rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. "Yeah, turns out it really is the opposite. People will remember you for your deeds, not just your performances. Got it memorized?"

All three nodded while Isa bent his head down to hide his smile in his collar.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> During these stressful and important times, please remember that you do have a voice. If they've taken it from you, take it back. But above all else, look out for each other and try to be safe.


	26. Kiss Me Once, Kiss Me Twice

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The boys have arrived in the Kingdom of Corona and enjoy each other's company as they take some time to recover from their last mission.

Despite promising Riku he'd stay awake for the journey to Corona, Sora fell back asleep after they had a few snacks in lieu of lunch. Riku wasn't too upset, though. As long as he was resting peacefully. With Sora's head in his lap, he reached over the side of the captain's chair for the satchel the Twilight Town crew made for him inside the chair's glove compartment. He then pulled out the jar from Hiro with all the shards inside and turned it over in his hands as he peered at the cursed crystals through the glass. With the two crystals from the past two days, the jar felt much heavier than it had before and he wondered if this jar would be enough to hold the rest of them. It was an idle thought, but it was a terrifying one all the same. To think that even a jar this size may not be able to hold all of the crystals inside Sora's body was horrifying to think about. He glanced down at the sleeping form in his lap and sighed as he put the jar back into the satchel as he used his other hand to softly knead Sora's scalp.

It wouldn't do any good to keep focusing on negative thoughts. He really needed to think more positive, especially when they're making such good progress in such a short amount of time. But the longer he observed Sora's sleeping form, the more he realized he was beginning to feel anxious. Sora was sleeping soundly and he even looked like he had the barest tugs of a smile on the corners of his lips as he rested comfortably on Riku's thighs. This wasn't a new feeling, either. Before, he told himself that maybe it was because of his dream eater instincts wanting to always protect Sora when he's asleep. But he knows it stems from even before that when he had to watch Sora sleep in a pod for a year. Usually just touching Sora eased that anxiety because it was something he couldn't do before, like he was doing now. There was a comfort in knowing he could just wake Sora up now whenever he needed to and just touching him would reaffirm that for him. But there was a long month where he couldn't afford that luxury. So he's almost certain that Sora not stirring last night when he tried to shake him awake has reignited his anxiety. He kept telling himself that it was only natural for Sora to be this exhausted. Even he was exhausted last night, mentally and physically. He should just be happy that Sora's sleeping soundly without a care in the world.

But as he ran his fingers through those feathery tufts, he felt his own hand trembling and his chest feel tight. He closed his own eyes and leaned his head back into the headrest as he took a few deep breaths. But try as he might, he couldn't stop the memory from coming back; the memory of the night they thought they were going to lose Sora. The first week when Sora didn't appear to make any progress was one of the worst weeks of his life. He and Kairi took turns looking after him, took turns holding each other, giving each other pep talks, took turns being angry. Day after day they had to remind each other to just believe and not give up hope, that Sora was counting on them and Sora would never give up. But when the elders even began to give up hope and made it sound like they should prepare to say their good-byes, they all debated on whether or not Sora should be awakened and just be given something for his pain so his family could at least speak to him before he passed. Riku flat out refused to say good-bye. He couldn't imagine a world without Sora. He wouldn't dare entertain the idea. It was after that night they realized how Kairi had unknowingly affected Sora's healing as she prayed for him to wake up while she redressed his wounds. But had that not happened, if Sora passed, what if Riku really never did get to say good-bye? What would he have done?

"I don't ever want to be faced with that choice again..." he murmured to himself.

Sora felt Riku's trembling hand migrate from his hair down to his cheek and stirred slightly. His eyes fluttered open to see Riku looking distressed with his head tilted up towards the roof of the cockpit. He could feel the other's heart aching and gently placed his own hand over the hand on his cheek. "Riku?"

Riku sharply inhaled and looked down to see those beautiful sapphire orbs looking at him with worry. "Sorry, did I wake you?"

Sora sighed and nuzzled Riku's trembling hand as he interlaced their fingers. "Careful, you're going to crash the ship," he said softly.

Genuinely confused, Riku stole a glance at the controls to see nothing was wrong before asking, "What do you mean by that?"

Sora chuckled and kissed Riku's knuckles, "This ship runs on happy faces."

Riku burst into a small fit of laughter, "Oh, NOW it runs on happy faces?"

"Hehe, I know, I don't like the idea either. Not anymore. We should be allowed to be sad every now and then," Sora smiled.

"Hm," Riku hummed and used his other hand to trace the soft curves of Sora's cheeks. "Maybe we should pick a different fuel source, then."

"Hmm...how about love?" Sora asked as his cheeks flushed a lovely rosy shade of pink.

"That works. There's certainly plenty of it to go around," they keyblade master agreed as he pulled Sora up into his arms for a long kiss.

The rest of the trip to Corona remained uneventful as the two enjoyed each other's company...at least until the last leg of the journey. While the two trusted the auto-pilot, they decided to take their little make-out session to the lower cabin so Riku could multi-task and change Sora's bandages at the same time. While he helped Sora remove his shirt, he thought he dislocated the teen's left shoulder because as soon as it came off he started howling with pain and POP out came another crystal and it ricocheted inside the lower cabin before embedding itself into the door of the microwave.

"JEEZ!" Riku shouted as he instinctly put up a darkness barrier to protect himself. "Is it just me, or are you shooting these things out with much more force?" he asked as he used a gloved hand to carefully pry the crystal out of the glass.

"I don't know!" Sora groaned as his left shoulder blade throbbed. "But it doesn't look nearly as big as the other ones. Maybe only the little ones shoot out like that?"

Riku recalled the ones that have nearly taken him out before, such as the ones in Olympus. "You might be onto something there. Next time you think it might be a little one, warn me and I'll make sure to take extra caution."

"I'll do my best," Sora chuckled as he sheepishly rubbed the back of his head. "But I really didn't see that one coming."

"Hey, I'm not complaining," Riku assured him as he stuffed the small shard into the jar with the rest of them. "Better out than in."

"You got that right," Sora smiled and waved Riku over for more kisses.

The two continued their hot and heavy exchange for a few more minutes until the ship warned them of their upcoming arrival. Sora was almost keen on ignoring it, but Riku still had to finish the job he had started, as in wrapping Sora back up. Sora wasn't having it, which forced Riku to playfully pin him down on the shared bunk so he could finally get him all bandaged up again. "If you don't behave, I'm not buying you any more pretzels," he threatened.

"I dunno if they have pretzels here. But if I'm good, will you buy me some pie?" Sora asked.

"I'll consider it," Riku smiled before kissing the tip of Sora's nose and finally letting him up so he can get redressed and drink his dose of three potions.

Once they prepared for the trip, they warped to land just outside of the castle town near the bridge. Almost immediately the pair were taken in by the atmosphere as it appeared that there was a festival going on. Music could be heard playing from the town square and everything was decorated with flowers and banners and the streets appeared to be lined with food stands.

"Wow! Looks like a summer festival is going on!" Sora pointed out excitedly.

"It sure does," Riku smiled as he looked over at the water toward the docks where more people could be seen hustling and bustling as they unloaded barrels off their boats and carried them to town.

Sora spun and looked around, taking in the fresh air and the sounds of the cool breeze rustling through the trees. "What do you want to do first, Riku?"

"Hm," Riku smiled at the joy on Sora's face. "Well, the weather's nice. How about we go into town, grab some of that pie you wanted, and maybe find a quiet place to have a picnic?"

Sora smiled broadly, "I love you so much."

Riku held his hand out for Sora's and the two walked together up the bridge. It appeared the festival was still being set up and the smells of food and fresh flowers were pleasantly drifting through the air all around them. It was busy and bustling and despite not being able to move nimbly, Sora cheerfully chuckled whenever he had to dodge a ladder or a rolling barrel. It pleased Riku so much to see him in good spirits. Even if Sora was limping a little bit here and there, he seemed to be taking it in stride as he bounced alongside Riku and pointed out the pretty buildings and decorations. Eventually they came across a few food stalls that were already open and decided on a few things that they wanted for their picnic.

Sora was practically drooling at all the different selections of pastries and meats. After a few indecisive moments, Riku just sighed and walked over to a stand that was selling woven baskets and returned to Sora's side. "Go ahead, pick whatever you want."

"Really?" Sora's eyes grew wide. "Thanks, Riku!"

"Just don't forget that you're sharing with me."

"Hehe, of course!" Sora chuckled.

Together, the two of them picked out some fruit, a couple of savory meat pies, cupcakes, and even a bottle of wine (the vendor assured them it was so weak it was practically grape juice). With their basket now brimming with food, Riku carried it in one hand and held Sora's hand with the other while they left to find a good spot. Luckily, Sora knew just the place not too far outside the main bridge so he took Riku to a small grove of flowers near the water. It was there that Riku unzipped one of their sleeping bags and laid it longways so that they sit and enjoy themselves without getting wet from the damp grass.

As they got started on their late lunch, Riku bit into a meat pie and took in their quiet and lush surroundings. A gentle breeze came through and many butterflies caught the breeze as they traveled from flower to flower. The way the sun peered through the trees made everything from the leaves to the dew on the grass sparkle brilliantly. Everything just seemed brighter in this world. Even though it was a pleasantly cool early summer day, everything about this place had a way of making him feel warm and happy. Sora seemed to be in agreement as he hummed happily while he ate, earning and even wider smile from Riku. "There are a lot of flowers here," he commented.

"Yeah," Sora sighed blissfully as he finished his pie. "It's so nice and quiet, too."

"Mm-hmm. I'm glad you suggested this place."

"Hehe, well I have good ideas every now and then," Sora snickered and scooted closer to Riku so their hips were touching.

"No, you can't have a bite of my pie."

"Spoilsport," Sora pouted.

"Have some fruit," Riku coaxed. "Or go ahead and eat your dessert."

"Hmmm..." Sora hummed as he considered which to eat, but he decided he wanted to wait until Riku was done with his meat pie before indulging in the dessert just yet. So he opted to grab some bottled water from his ruck sack and offered it to Riku. "Hydrate, don't die-drate~"

Riku snorted but accepted the bottled water. "Sure you're not just trying to distract me from my pie?"

"Rikuuuuuuuu, do you really think I'd try to steal your lunch?"

"Yes," Riku deadpanned.

"Well, I'm not. See?" Sora defended by grabbing an apple from the basket and using his pocket knife to cut it into slices.

"Heh," the keyblade master chuckled and finished off the last few bites of his pie before indulging in the bottle of water.

"Would you like a slice?" the brunette asked while he bit into one.

"Sure."

Sora grinned happily and made quick work of slicing Riku a portion of apple before offering to feed it to him. To which Riku grinned and complied by opening his mouth and biting into the fruit when Sora brought it to his lips. The brunette continued to hold the slice while Riku took a second bite but before he could pull his hand away after he finished devouring the slice, the silverette gently grasped his hand so he could suck the sweet juice off the tips of Sora's fingers.

The younger teen blushed as Riku's lips took their sweet time wrapping themselves around his fingertips. He even felt the tip of Riku's tongue caress them and the sensation alone sent a shiver down his spine. "C-can I have my hand back?" he asked cheekily, though he wasn't really that hard-pressed about it.

"I'll consider it," the elder teen smirked and although he did remove his lips, he didn't release Sora's hand. Instead he intertwined their fingers as he held it and let their clasped hands rest between them on the makeshift picnic blanket. This made it very interesting when it came time to to eat the cupcakes they bought for dessert. It almost became an unspoken contest between the two of them to see who got the least messy while eating with only one hand. Despite the competition both got incredibly messy, their mouths and noses getting bits of buttercream and sprinkles in Sora's case all over their noses and the corners of their mouths. In the end, nobody won. But then again, maybe they both did because next they started taking turns licking the sweet frosting off of each other's cheeks. From there it evolved into more intense kissing until both are breathless and lying on their backs, still holding hands. 

Full and satisfied, Sora sighed blissfully as the two watch the trees and flowers rustle gently in the breeze. "Feeling a little sleepy..."

Riku turns his head to study the brunette's face, "But you just woke up not too long ago."

"I know~," Sora responded almost dreamily as his eyes began to drift closed.

Concerned, Riku releases Sora's hand as he scooches closer and props himself on his elbow to look at him, "Are you okay?"

"Yeah. I'm just really happy. For some reason, I feel like I can rest for real," Sora giggled, knowing that doesn't really make much sense. He then opened his yes to peer into Riku's teal ones. "Aren't you tired, Riku?" he asked while tracing his fingers along the delicate slope of the other's cheek.

"I dunno..." the male half-heartedly answers as he moves to wrap an arm around Sora's waist to cuddle while resuming his showering of affection with slow and gentle kisses. Sora mewls quietly from the attention and begins pawing at Riku vaguely, his hands settling into his soft silver hair to gently knead his scalp. Riku was quickly becoming intoxicated by the sweet, heavenly taste of Sora and both were nearly breathless again. It took everything he had to pull away but he just couldn't resist the urge to taste even more of him. His lips kissing a trail down Sora's cheeks that still had the barest traces of sweetness, down his neck, and even further still. As his lips worshipped Sora, he breathily took in his scent as he buried his nose into the crook of his neck, the other teen whimpering quietly as the outpouring of affectionate nips continued. The sweet song of his mewling enticed Riku to move even closer and he moved to hover his body above him, one knee between Sora's thighs as he braced himself on one elbow and used his other hand to tug at the collar of Sora's black tank top. He pushed it and his jacket aside to expose more of his collarbone and right shoulder.

All the while Sora gasped at the gentle pressure and heat of Riku's knee just barely pressing against his groin and practically sobbed as the stimulation kept building while he desperately wrapped his arms around Riku's shoulders and kneaded the back of his neck with his fingertips to keep himself grounded. It took every bit of self-control he had left to keep from bucking himself against Riku's knee as hot lips dragged across his collarbone. Wherever Riku touched felt like it was burning and what a delicious burn it was. To be ravaged this softly and sweetly by the love of his life was the most heavenly torture that nearly brought tears to his eyes as his cheeks flushed with pleasure. Riku's hot breath on his exposed shoulder, the saliva from past kisses cooling from the gentle summer breeze, the hushed sounds of their quickened breathing, it was almost too much stimulation for him to take in and yet he craved more. "Riku..." he whispered the other's name, attempting to express his desire but the other's lips never ceased. Just when he was about to say his name again, however, he let out a strangled gasp of pain as a familiar pain shot through his shoulder. "AA--!" he choked as the pain radiated through the entire right side of his body, his hand on Riku's scalp spasming and his fingers instinctively gripping around the hair entangled around them which caught Riku's attention very quickly.

Said teen couldn't move his head to look at him properly because of the grip he had on his hair. "Sora?"

"Riku--AAAGH!" Sora cried out again, this time dropping his hands from Riku's body to clutch at the sleeping bag instead. "My shoulder! It's--AAH!" He couldn't even finish his sentence as he felt the bead of white hot pain grow in his shoulder and recognized the sensation of another crystal forcing its way through his skin.

Riku quickly pulled back and saw the glowing area on Sora's shoulder where the black crystal shard was beginning to protrude from and quickly made to grab for the jar. This time he wasn't taking any chances! He took the lid off and stuck the opening over the wound, the other crystals inside unable to touch Sora thanks to the neutralizing barrier on the inside of the jar's opening. In just a few seconds, they both heard a resounding CLINK CLINK CLINK as the crystal shot out of Sora and bounced inside the jar several times before settling with the others. "Phew, close call!" Riku exhaled a sigh of relief before replacing the lid and holding up the jar to look at the newest addition to their growing collection. It couldn't have been any bigger than the size of a pencil head eraser, but the ends were extremely pointed and no doubt very painful. In fact, the area it exited from looked angry and red, which Riku kissed sympathetically while Sora caught his breath. "You okay?"

"Y-yeah. It still kinda stings," Sora panted but cooed adoringly as Riku tried to kiss it better. "Nice catch."

"Thanks for the heads up," Riku grinned and leaned his head down to kiss Sora's slightly sweaty forehead.

"I think...I need to rest..." Sora struggled to say as his eyelids began to feel really heavy. He was almost angry that the moment was ruined and couldn't help the tears forming in the corners of his eyes. "I'm sorry, Riku..."

"Don't think twice about it," Riku responded softly as he kissed away Sora's tears. "Just rest. I'll be here when you wake up."

"I know you will," Sora smiled as he allowed himself to fall asleep. Riku wasn't too far behind him either, resuming his spot beside him and wrapping an arm protectively around his waist while he allowed himself to rest as well.


	27. Slide to the Left, Slide to the Right

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The fun times continue to roll in the Kingdom of Corona!

_"I won't do it! I won't say good-bye!"_

_"But Riku--"_

_"He's going to pull through! I know he will! Just believe in him for a little longer, please!"_

_"We all believe in him, but--"_

_"There are not buts about it! I won't...I can't say good-bye. I just can't."_

Riku could hear fiddles playing in the distance...and accordions, maybe? Something shrill but playful and upbeat. The noise slowly dragged him out of his sleep and he awoke to a low sun beam shining in his face. He must've been asleep for at least a couple of hours. As he rubbed the sleep from his eyes, he noticed something was missing. "SORA!" he shot up and spun his head around to look for him but couldn't spot him in his peripheral vision.

"Behind you!" Sora called cheerfully.

Startled, Riku spun around and let out a sigh of relief to see Sora only a few feet behind him. He was kneeling in the flower bed with his outer jacket taken off. Next to himself, Riku noticed Sora had left his shoes and socks next to the sleeping bag. "What are you up to?"

Sora chuckled and stood up to show he was gathering flowers and was using his jacket to carry them in. He returned to Riku's side and sat down next to him with a quiet "oof" before setting a flower crown made of daisies and forget-me-nots on Riku's head. "Hehe, they suit you."

"Uh...thanks. What's all this about?" Riku asked curiously while he silently willed for his heart rate to go back to normal.

"I thought we'd check out the festival when you woke up and thought we should--" Sora paused and looked closer at Riku. He could see residual fear in his eyes. "Riku...?"

The way that Sora looked at him was too much for Riku's heart to take. He bit his lower lip hard and grimaced before holding his arms out, "Come here."

Sora immediately jumped into his arms to hold him tightly. Riku was really hurting. It was more than obvious now. "Is there anything--"

"This is all I need," he answered before Sora could finish the question as he held him close and buried his face into his hair. He inhaled deep breaths of Sora's scent as he waited for the pain in his heart to go away. The scent of freshly-picked flowers masked the odor of darkness and beneath it all Sora still smelt like sunshine and salt water and just...home. "I love you so much."

"I love you too, Riku," the brunette whispered softly into the other's ear as he rubbed soothing circles into Riku's back.

Eventually Riku loosened his grip and allowed Sora to pull away. He looked down to realize Sora's flowers got crushed between them. "Sorry about the--"

"They're just flowers," Sora smiled and gave Riku a sweet peck. "You can help me pick some more."

"Heh, sure," Riku smiled back and brushed the pollen off of himself before standing up and stretching. "Did you sleep well?"

"I did! I only woke up because of the music. It sounds like it's going to be a lot of fun! I was thinking we could look check it out for a little bit and maybe even pick up a souvenier as Ariel and Eric's wedding gift."

"Sounds fun!" Riku agreed as he tried to find flowers similar to the ones that he just crushed. "What about after?"

"There's a campsite not too far from here where we could spend the night. I thought we could set up the tent and I could make us dinner," Sora suggested.

"Sure, if you're up for it! Will these work?" he asked as he brought a new bundle of flowers over to Sora. He found some red cosmos, white lilies, and...violets? He wasn't really sure.

"They're perfect," Sora chuckled and accepted them as he quickly got to work. To be honest, he wasn't entirely sure what he was doing, but he'd seen Kairi make enough flower crowns when they were kids to get the general gist so even though the braiding wasn't exactly straight, the crown of flowers held together very well. Riku picked them, therefore they were perfect. "All done!" he proudly donned the colorful combination. "How's it look?"

"Fantastic," Riku grinned. "You look festival ready."

"We both do!" Sora chuckled happily and grabbed his gummi phone. "Selfie Time!" He wrapped an arm around Riku's neck to pull him into frame and snapped a pic of the both of them for Kingstagram. "Smile, Riku!"

"Wait, I want one too!" Riku laughed as Sora took his but then tackled Sora to the ground so that they both landed in the flower bed, earning genuine laughter from Sora as he posed above him with his arm stretched out to snap a pic of them rough-housing in the flowers. "Perfect!"

"Why'd you have to be so rough!?" Sora giggled as he yanked Riku back down and pulled himself on top.

"You were rough first!"

"It's because you're too tall!"

"More like you're too--"

"Don't say it!!!"

"Too--"

"DON'T SAY IT!"

"Cute."

"HOW DARE--Oh...wait...awwwww..."

"GOTCHA!" Riku cackled and rolled Sora around so he was on top. "SHORT!"

"RIKUUUUUUUUU!!!!! You're going to crush my crown!"

"It's not the only thing I'm going to crush~" Riku grinned as he pressed his lips to Sora's and playfully pressed his hips against his.

"MMMPH!" Sora blushed furiously as he returned the kiss but pushes him away. "Save the dirty dancing for after the festival!"

"You got it," he chuckled and got up to help Sora to his feet and kissing the tip of his nose. "I'll look forward to it~" he winked.

Sora blushed furiously. "RIKU!!!"

After the stashed away their stuff and put their shoes back on, they made their way back to town where the festivities were in full force. It appeared to be part music and part summer festival. There were numerous stalls selling their wares but the majority of the people were packed into the town square where there was an elevated wooden stage next to the mosaic royal family and it was packed with musicians playing for the crowd dancing in the center. In the center of the lively dancing circle was Princess Rapunzel herself dancing with Eugene both dressed in matching cream-colored attire and also wearing crowns made of yellow flowers.

"Look, it's Rapunzel!" Sora nudged Riku as they stood on the outskirts of the dancing crowd.

"I thought you said she had long hair?" Riku asked, confused as he expected to see a blonde with long hair based on Sora's kingstagram photos.

"Well she did, but Eugene cut it off. I'll tell you the story later!" Sora promised.

"SORA!!!" Rapunzel's voice rang through the crowd as she spotted the both of them and dragged Eugene out of the circle to run over and say hi. The crowd parted for the pair easily and Sora grabbed Riku's hand to drag him over as he ran to meet her halfway. Once they reached each other, the princess gave Sora a bone-crushing hug.

"The loyal sidekick is back in town, I see! Good to see you!" Eugene greeted with a pat on the shoulder as soon as Rapunzel released him. "Wait, something's missing..." He saw Riku and raised an eyebrow, "So did you replace Donald and Goofy with a sidekick of your own?"

"Sidekick?" Riku asked, a little taken aback.

"No!! You got it all wrong. Riku's my..." he wanted to say best friend, but that felt inadequate. His brain scrambled to find a better term that sounded like a good descriptor for them working together and just blurted out, "Partner!"

The blush immediately rises to Riku's face from being introduced as such. Sora doesn't seem to realize right away the other implication of what he had said. The couple look at them holding hands and the light bulb goes off for the both of them.

A smile quickly rises to Rapunzel's face but Eugene just says, "I would never have guessed."

"Eugene!" she scolded and lightly elbowed him in the side.

"What? I'm happy for them! Riku, was it?" Eugene offered his hand to the keyblade master.

Riku laughed the awkward introduction off and accepted the offered hand shake firmly. "That's right. Pleasure to meet you both."

"How long are you two in town for?" Rapunzel asked. "Are you staying for the whole festival?"

"We're just in town until tomorrow evening, I think. But we wanted to stop by and say hi! I'm glad we got a chance to run into you!" Sora smiled. "I'm so happy to see you both!"

"Us too, Sora!" Rapunzel beamed. "Would you two like to dance with us?"

"We'd love to!" Sora cheered!

"Wait--" Riku wanted to protest.

"Ah, don't worry, buddy!" Eugene encouraged, slapping Riku on the back to hurry him along after Sora who was now being dragged into the dance circle by Rapunzel. "It's easy! Just don't overthink it!"

"But I don't know the--" Riku dragged his feet.

"Just follow our lead!" Eugene laughed and hooked arms with him and forced Riku to awkwardly prance with him while they joined the other dancers who were constantly switching partners while Sora swung Rapunzel around by her waist.

Round and round the four of them went, switching partners left and right as the fiddles played and the singers harmonized. Tambourines were being slapped and rung everywhere and Riku was getting dizzy trying to keep up. It was exhausting but thrilling at the same time. Plus, he kept his eyes on Sora who was just a joy to watch as he laughed and smiled with everybody while not missing a beat. He was just so carefree in his movements and the way he just let loose and perform flips and spins made Riku's heart soar.

Sora was having a blast. For the first time in ages, he felt free. For once his limbs were cooperating. He could flip and dance and wave flags with the others and spin and prance and laugh with everybody without a care in the world. He tried to switch partners fast enough to pair up with Riku but even Riku seemed to have a hard time reaching him as all the ladies wanted him to be their partner next. Finally, Sora couldn't take it anymore and hopped onto a barrel, spinning and flipping onto the top of a stall to then do a triple backflip right in front Riku who had finally separated from his last partner, to successfully cut in and grab a dance with him. "Found you!" he cheered proudly.

"About time!" Riku teased as he spun Sora around by the waist and lifted him into the air.

"Hahaha!" Sora spun gleefully and then spun Riku who then copied Sora's moves from earlier by doing a one-handed hand stand.

"No fair, that's my move!" Sora scolded as he braced his hands on Riku's shoulders to leapfrog over him and spin around and flip him over his back.

"WHOA! Haha! I didn't realize the handstand was called "The Sora"!" Riku laughed as he was flipped over and grabbed Sora's hand to twirl him.

The brunette laughed as he came out of the spin and held on tight as his dance partner grabbed both his hands to pull him close again and then grabbed his waist as they pranced and spun around some more. The two carried on like this for a few more seconds, just being show-offs in general for the last 30 seconds of the set until the beat changed into a slower waltz to give the crowd a break.

Eugene and Rapunzel paired back up and were now dancing alongside Sora and Riku who were breathless by this point. Both pairs looked at each other and laughed heartily.

"See, I had faith in you, Riku," Eugene winked.

"Yeah, that was a lot of fun," Riku smiled down at Sora who was leaning heavily into his chest. "But I think I prefer this kind of dancing." The comment earned a loving look from Sora who beamed up at him dreamily while a blush stained his cheeks.

"That was so sweet, I think I'm going to be sick," Eugene whispered so only Rapunzel could hear.

"Eugene!" Rapunzel hissed.

It didn't even matter if they could hear him because the two teens were already so lost in each other's eyes that the rest of the world might as well not even exist as they slowly rocked each other from side to side. By now the sun was beginning to set and the barest twinkling of stars could be seen in the sky. As the sunset reflected in Sora's eyes, Riku could see the brunette's strength was beginning to waver, especially as he started leaning even heavier into Riku while occasionally scuffing his toe against the ground when his foot wouldn't cooperate.

"You ready to head out?" Riku asked.

Sora nodded wordlessly as he gripped Riku a little tighter. He definitely feels like he overdid it.

"Do you want to say good-bye before we leave?" Riku asked.

Sora looked over at Rapunzel and Eugene happily dancing together and shook his head as he gripped Riku's arms tighter. "No. I don't want them to see me like this. Besides, they're having so much fun. We can see them tomorrow before we leave, right?"

"Right," Riku nodded as he held him firmly and offered him an arm to hold which Sora accepted gratefully.

Before they headed out, Sora selected a few ingredients from the stalls to use for their dinner and took a nice slow walk together along the bridge. When they reached the shoreline, Sora's eyes lit up as he found scallops and oysters just like he did the last time he was here. "I found dinner!" he exclaimed excitedly and Riku helped him dig up a few more. 

As they were bent over the water, Sora's hands ran over a smooth stone in the mud and he lifted it up curiously after rinsing it off a few times. He had found a pretty white stone that had been polished to perfection in a neat oval shape. As he held it in the palm of his hand, he was hit with a wave of pure nostalgia that brought a smile to his face. Suddenly he was struck with an idea and quickly pocketed it before Riku noticed and hurried to collect the last of the ingredients they needed. "All set?" he asked.

"Yeah, I think I found a few," Riku walked over to show the haul he had collected in the basket from earlier.

"Perfect! Now we can head to camp!" Sora grinned.

It wasn't too long of a walk before they made it to the campsite, but they definitely lost the last traces of daylight so first thing they had to do was collect firewood. Riku offered to do it himself, but Sora brought up that maybe Riku should put up the tent since he's the only one amongst them who can see in the dark while he looked for firewood.

"But how are you going to collect firewood if you can't see?" Riku pointed out.

"I can at least find sticks in the dark, Riku. Give me some credit!" Sora huffed.

"I think you just want me to do the hard part. But you do have a point. Just be careful."

Don't worry, I'll be back in a second!" Sora insisted and walked a little ways into the thicket. It was only about ten yards before he found a good pile of sticks and he started collecting them earnestly. But as he straightened up with the bundle of kindling, he nearly dropped the whole pile when he spotted a White Mushroom hovering in the air while clinging to a branch for dear life. "How did you get up there?" Sora wondered out loud. He was very familiar with these heartless, knowing them to be nothing but friendly but it's definitely been a while. He squinted through the dark and found there were four more of them, all in a very similar state, clutching branches as they floated helplessly in the trees.

Even if they were Heartless, White Mushrooms were usually a welcome sight. If white mushrooms were around, that meant there were no other heartless in the area. "You guys need a hand?" he offered as he set the pile down and summoned his keyblade. He shouted "FORCE!" as he cast a gravity spell on the group and they all lowered safely to the ground. Once they were all on their feet, they hopped up and down excitedly and started throwing MP orbs and other gifts at his feet before disappearing in a poof of darkness. Sora chuckled as he picked up the gifted materials, including the coveted Mystery Goo. "Nice! This will come in handy!" After he pocketed everything, he quickly dismissed his keyblade and regathered the wood to hurry back to the campsite before Riku could have a chance to worry. But along the way, he came across a moogle shop hologram that he didn't notice before.

"Well isn't that convenient!" The brunette hurried over to interact with it. "Are you open?"

"Of course! Kupo! Would you like to see our wares? Or perhaps you have some synthesis materials for us, kupo?" the moogle hologram greeted.

Sora scrolled through the listing on the hologram's peripheral and noticed there were a few ingredients he needed. "Uh...how about a stick of butter and some olive oil! Oh and would you happen to have...say...some black string or cord?"

"I don't normally sell cord, kupo. But I will for you, kupo."

"Thanks a lot!"

The exchanges of munny were made and Sora thanked the Shop Moogle hologram one more time before regathering the wood and dashing back to the campsite before the butter could have a chance to soften too much.

"Took you long enough. I was beginning to wonder if you got lost," Riku teased as he stood proudly in front of the tent.

"Sorry," Sora smiled sheepishly and put the firewood in the stone circle that was already set up from the last travelers who were there. Together the two quickly set everything up and got the fire going. Once it was the right temperature, Sora grabbed the mess kits from the camping gear and began working on their meal while Riku set up the sleeping bags and a mat for them to both sit on so they could enjoy the stars while they ate. While he worked, some of the petals fell off the flower crown he forgot he was wearing which reminded him to take more pictures of Sora while he cooked.

Sora heard the beeps and looked up in time for the flash to catch him in the eyes and he groaned cutely. "If you're going to take pictures, you should be in them too. Get over here." He waved him over so the two could take some more together while Sora kept an eye on the scallops. After they got a few good ones, they removed the wilting flowers from their hair and set them aside before they could have a chance to completely fall apart and resumed what they were doing. As Riku put Sora's handiwork into the picnic basket, he found the bottle of weak wine that they didn't get a chance to try earlier and poured them both a mug full from their mess kits. Finally, Sora declared that dinner was ready and they enjoyed their meal as they sat close together next to the fire.

"Compliments to the chef!" Riku praised as he devoured the meal Sora had made. "Little Chef taught you well!"

"It just takes practice," Sora blushed as he soaked in the praise. "Though it is kind of hard learning from a rat who can't talk."

"I'm sure it is!" Riku chuckled.

"It really pairs well with the wine, doesn't it?" Sora noted as he sipped from his mug. Something wasn't quite right though as he finished the last of it, so he tried sipping from the bottle itself. "Oh wait, that tastes much better!"

"What do you mean?" Riku asked.

"Try it!" Sora offered him the bottle.

Riku finished his last sip as well before accepting the offered bottle and taking a swig. "Wait, it does. How does that even work?"

"Well, I know in the restaurant it has to be poured a certain way in a certain glass, but I thought it was just because it was a fancy restaurant? I didn't know it had anything to do with the flavor!"

"That's so strange...but it's interesting, too. Maybe when we're old enough we can take one of those wine classes together back at the islands."

"What, the ones our moms go to?" Sora snickered.

"Sure, why not? There's gotta be something to it, right?"

"Sure that's just not the wine talking?"

"What, you don't like the idea?"

"I didn't say that!" Sora laughed. "It's just not something I ever thought I'd hear you suggest."

"When we're older, there are going to be a lot of new things for us to experience together that we haven't thought of before," Riku pointed out as he offered the bottle back to Sora.

"That's true," the brunette smiled as he took the offered bottle and took another long sip. "I'm looking forward to it."

"Me too," Riku smiled as he saw Sora's face begin to flush in the firelight.

"Riku...you're blushing. Have you had too much?" the brunette teased as he caught Riku staring at him.

"Ha!" the silverette set aside his empty plate and grabbed the bottle to finish the last few sips of what little liquid remained and pulled Sora into a deep kiss.

"Mmm!" Sora was caught a little by surprise and dropped his empty plate into his lap as Riku captured his lips in a searing kiss, sharing the last bit of wine between them and letting it coat their tongues as he invaded Sora's mouth. When they finally parted, Sora definitely began to feel tipsy, but he wasn't sure if it was from the wine or the intense kiss.

"If anybody's had too much," Riku teased, "It's you."

"You don't know what you're talking about," Sora protested as he gently shoved him away so he could clean up. "You said yourself that it's only a hair away from being grape juice."

"Yeah, that's what the vendor said," Riku chuckled as he helped Sora. The two went to the nearby creek to clean their mess kits and made sure to gather a couple of logs to keep the fire going while they retreated into the tent so Riku could take care of Sora's bandages.

The inside of the tent was lit with a small lantern hanging from the ceiling and trash can was munching away at Sora's discarded bandages as Riku looked over and assessed the current state of Sora's injuries. Both had already stripped down to their boxers as it was already getting a little warm with both of them sharing a tent. While kneeling on the unfolded sleeping bags, Riku ran his hands over Sora's body to check for any new sore spots or pain spikes that might indicate whether or not any more crystals were on the move.

Sora murred as Riku's hands roamed over him and winced occasionally as fingers delicately massaged and kneaded the sore areas in his back and his legs. Riku has always been so gentle, but tonight he seemed especially attentive as he traced the purple lines of bruising on his skin with his fingertips and left small kisses here and there. "Riku..." he sighed blissfully.

"Are you okay?" Riku whispered. "Does any of this hurt?"

"No...it feels nice," Sora whispered back.

"Good. I'm glad." Once Riku completed wrapping up the teen's chest and lower back, he let him lay down so he could attend to his limbs.

Sora couldn't help letting his eyes drift closed as the silver-haired teen carefully lifted each limb and wrapped him in the pleasantly cold gauze that Elsa had made. The thin, magical fabric made him shiver pleasantly as each layer was applied to his bare skin and Riku took every possible opportunity to lay kisses wherever he had goosebumps. Each kiss left behind a pleasant burn and with each one Sora found himself shuddering harder and harder.

Riku smiled a little smugly as he felt Sora tremble beneath his hands and lips while he took his sweet time attending to him. He was so pleased to see the bruises and lines on Sora's body fading away and just couldn't hold back as he craved to love and worship every inch of him. "Sora..."

At hearing his name being whispered, Sora opened his eyes to look at Riku whose gaze he caught looking him over with absolute longing. Such a look in those beautiful eyes made them glint an almost emerald color and couldn't keep himself from reaching up to brush the bangs from his face so he could see them more clearly. "Riku..."

The silverette leaned into Sora's hand and captured it with his own so he could plant a kiss on each fingertip. "You're healing so well. It's getting harder and harder for me to take my eyes off you."

Such a statement nearly made Sora's heart stop and his face flushed even redder than ever. "R-Riku..."

Riku's eyes widened and he found himself blushing as Sora blushed hard and sent his cuteness level off the charts. "I mean..." he stammered, suddenly feeling very self-conscious. "I mean you've always looked great, that's never changed. I just mean--"

Sora interrupted him with a cute laugh, unable to handle how adorable Riku looked right now. "You're so cute, Riku!"

Riku blushed even further and bit his lower lip, his own hands trembling now around Sora's as he felt a strange combination of being pleased, shy, and embarrassed all at the same time. "You're the cute one," he pouted at being unable to come up with a better comeback just as Sora yanked him down to join him on the sleeping bag to continue where they left off earlier in the flower field.

Riku barely had the state of mind to reach up and turn off the lamp before pulling the other unzipped sleeping bag over them as he moved against Sora and recapture his mouth. Their tongues clashed as they felt the heat radiating off both their faces and fueled each other's desire to be the one to come out on top. Their limbs entangled around each other, arms lacing together, legs moving between each other, hip against hip. When they finally broke for air, Riku greedily dragged his lips down Sora's neck and began kissing a trail down Sora's chest as the brunette mewled wantonly. But just as his hands reached to brace themselves on either side of his hips, a shrill ringing shattered the hot and heavy atmosphere of their tent.

Startled, both of them sat up, almost dazed as it took their brains an extra minute to figure out where the noises were coming from.

_Do de dooooooo, do do de do do doooooooooo~ _

"It's the--"

"The gummi phone," Riku finished with a hint of irritation in his voice.

Both stared at glowing screen on the floor next to them as the phone vibrated loudly against the canvas bottom of the tent.

"I don't think we can ignore it a second time," Sora pointed out gently.

Riku sighed, "You're right," before reaching over and answering it. "Hello?"

"Oh gosh, did I wake you?"

Sora could hear Mickey's voice clearly through the speaker on the phone. It seems the mouse king mistook the irritation in Riku's voice being from woken up rather than really awful timing. Thankfully Riku had the state of mind to answer without turning on the video call because the level of annoyance was so clear in the keyblade master's eyes that it was almost hard for Sora not to laugh.

"No, you're fine," Riku inhaled hard through his nose before speaking in a much friendlier tone. "What's up?"

"We just received a call from Jiminy. Geppetto's house was broken into."

"What!?" Riku moved off of Sora to sit up properly, the king now having his undivided attention while Sora crawled closer so he could listen too.

"Yeah, as far as they know, the place was ransacked a couple of hours ago. Everybody's okay. Apparently they were out having a picnic when it happened. But they said their neighbors spotted somebody in a black cloak snooping around after they left for the afternoon."

"It has to be Xigbar," Sora said quietly.

Riku nodded, "It must be Xigbar, but what could he possibly have wanted with Geppetto?"

"He said he's pretty sure some of his gummi ship blueprints have been taken, but other than that, the place is such a mess that he's having a hard time figuring out what else is missing at the moment."

"Blueprints? Why would he need blueprints? He can use portals of darkness," Riku wondered out loud. He looked to Sora who seemed to be deep in thought.

"Maybe he needs to transport something that he can't use a portal for?" Mickey suggested. "Whatever the case may be, I thought you should know in case you want to check it out for yourselves."

"Right, thanks for the heads up, Mickey."

"Where are you two now?"

"Uh, we're just running a couple of errands at the moment. But we'll fly over and check on Geppetto for sure," he then let out an exaggerated yawn. "As soon as the time zone difference deems it appropriate, that is."

"Right! You two get some rest. I'll text you tomorrow. Good night!"

"Good night," Riku ended the call and set down the gummi phone a little too hard as indicated by the sound of the casing creaking in his clutched fist. He let out a huff and looked back towards Sora who looked like he was still pondering something. "What's up?"

"Something doesn't seem right. Geppetto's designs aren't exactly the most practical. So why bother stealing blueprints from him?" Sora wondered.

"What do you mean by that?" Riku moved to lie down properly and pulled Sora under the sleeping bag with him so they can both get comfortable.

Sora rested his head on one of the camping pillows and scooched close to Riku while his brow furrowed in thought. "Maybe his designs have gotten better over the past couple of years. But I know the blueprints he used to give me were more about looks. They were cute, but they weren't exactly meant for combat. I dunno, something just doesn't seem right."

Riku pulled him close and pressed a kiss to his temple. "We'll have plenty of time to figure it out when we pay him a visit. For now let's just be glad he's okay and get some rest."

"You're right," Sora sighed and returned the kiss on Riku's cheek before snuggling into his chest. "Good night, Riku."

"Good night, Sora."


	28. Ugly, Snuggly

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Some of Sora's missing memories are coming to haunt him. The search for the perfect wedding gift has ended and the two play detective with Pinocchio!

Maybe it was because he spent a fair portion of the day sleeping yesterday or maybe it was because of nerves, but Sora just couldn't stay asleep for long. When he opened his eyes the next morning, the sun hadn't even come out yet, but the birds were already awake. Riku was still sound asleep, though, so he pressed a soft kiss to his temple before carefully disentangling from his arms so he could put on some pants and sneak outside to take care of business.

The woods were covered with a fine mist as the near arrival of the sun began to warm up the earth that had cooled over night. The dewy grass tickled his bare feet pleasantly as he wandered around to find some food to make breakfast with. Eventually he came across some mushrooms and basil and recalled Riku enjoying veggie pizza. "Maybe a veggie omelet?" he thought out loud to himself. "I think we still have some eggs left in our supplies." As he considered the menu, some bluebirds came by to sing for him in the branches. "Oh! Hello again!" he greeted happily in a hushed voice. To be honest, he wasn't even that sure it was the same group of birds he interacted with the last time he was here, but what the hey? Said birds continued to follow him as he gathered some spinach and headed back to camp.

While working as quietly as possible, Sora added another log to the smoldering fire to build it back up so it would be hot enough to cook with. While he waited on it, he grabbed the knife from earlier and got to work preparing the ingredients while using a nearby trunk as a chopping board and greased up the frying pan. When it came time to scramble the eggs, he hesitated as the birds continued to fly and sing around him. "I promise they're chicken eggs, okay?" he whispered as he cracked them open and began scrambling them to good consistency with a fork. Thankfully, the birds didn't seem to notice or really care so he continued to work in peace.

As the sun rose higher, it continued to get warmer and the cool temperature that Sora was enjoying earlier ebbed away, leaving him a little sweaty as he tended to the fire and to their breakfast. "Summer really is here, huh?" he mused as he finally began cooking, the pan's contents sizzling away quietly while he waited for the right moment to add the other ingredients. After he added the finely sliced vegetables, he flipped the omelet closed and hurried to find one of the mess kit plates so he could have it ready. It was a little more difficult to time everything with a fire, but thankfully he had been well-practiced by now after all the cooking he's done at Herc's place. His first attempt looked perfect and he hummed, very pleased with himself. "This one's Riku's!"

Back in the tent, Riku felt the temperature rise steadily inside the tent and woke up to find himself a little moist with sweat, even without the extra body that cuddled with him. Speaking of which, where was that extra body? Something smelling suspiciously like breakfast wafted through the slightly open door flap, so he tossed on some pants before exiting the tent. Just outside the tent near the fire, he observes Sora hard at work, sweat glistening off his toned back and surrounded by singing birds. "Who's this fairy tale prince making breakfast?"

Sora straightened up and turned around. "You mean me?"

"Who else?" Riku chuckled as he walked over to give Sora a good morning kiss. "How long have you been up?"

"Not too long," Sora fibbed as he returned the kiss. "How'd you sleep?" he asked as he quickly returned to flip his own omelet. "That one's yours, by the way."

"I slept okay. It got very warm, though." Riku picked up the plate that was sitting in his camping chair. "This looks delicious, Sora. Thank you!"

"Don't thank me until you've tried it," the brunette snickered as he added the finishing touches to his. His own omelet broke a little bit but whatever. He set the pan aside on another stump and sat next to Riku in his own camping chair so they could eat together.

"Is this all veggies? Wow, I'm proud of you," Riku praised as he took a bite. The mushrooms definitely made it very earthy, but he could tell Sora took the time to dry the mushrooms before he added them to the omelet so that the texture wasn't too runny. "It's very good! There's basil in here too?"

"Yup! I found all the ingredients out here. But we're going to have to buy more eggs," Sora snickered as he bit into his own omelet. He added a lot of salt and pepper to his own. He could probably learn to like this sort of omelet, but he'd kill for a piece of ham right now. Regardless, he was very satisfied with his own handiwork and he was over the moon that Riku seemed to really be enjoying it.

"I'm very impressed," Riku praised. After they finished eating, Riku helped Sora clean up. The effort made them both even sweatier, so they decided to bathe in the pond connected to the creek behind the campsite. It was a little hidden away by a bush and blocked by a couple of very large boulders and it even poured into the mouth of a cave. So maybe it was more of a small river than a pond? Regardless, the water felt fantastic and the two seized the opportunity to shed what little clothes they were already wearing so they could cool off and get cleaned up. Unfortunately, Sora still had to wear his bandages, but he didn't really mind this time as the new texture didn't make him feel like he was wearing soggy socks all over his body. If anything it felt more like a soft shell, or a cold second skin. If only it were cold enough to combat the heat, otherwise he wouldn't have to be bathing with the fishes. But there you go!

The water was crystal clear and pristine and just the right temperature to cool off in as the summer heat quickly began to roll in. While they enjoyed their soak, Sora playfully splashed Riku to instigate a splash fight which quickly built up to them trying to dunk each other. But as they grappled and playfully grabbed at each other, they began to wrestle with their tongues instead, each pawing and squeezing the other as they dueled for dominance over the other. In water, it didn't matter if Sora was shorter as he could easily choose to pull Riku down into the water with him or climb up his body without worry of falling or being too heavy. Said perks he took full advantage of as he wrapped his legs around Riku's waist and his arms around his broad shoulders while they continued to twist their heads and kiss roughly in an attempt to gain traction over the other.

Riku found himself tiring and waded over to press Sora against a nearby boulder in the deeper end of the pond to regain his footing while not letting up for even a second. The smaller teen moaned at the gentle pressure of the cold stone against his back and held Riku tighter in his arms while the keyblade master started to get the upper hand. Finally the brunette couldn't take any more and broke the kiss to catch his breath. Both their chests heaved quietly while they held each other. Foreheads pressed together while fingers kneaded and rubbed and their hips stirred beneath the water's surface.

The gentle friction stoked the fire growing in Sora's middle and soon he was moaning Riku's name quietly, hips experimentally moving against his while he begged for something he couldn't dare name out loud. The movements caused Riku's breath to hitch in his throat and his knees to buckle and he began to grind his own growing need against Sora's while capturing his mouth in another deep kiss in an effort to capture every bit of him for himself. Eventually, it got to the point where even Riku's skilled kisses could do nothing to smother Sora's moans and he finally granted him mercy, parting their lips to whisper into his ear as he ground against him much more deliberately, "Tell me what you want~"

"R-Riku!" Sora gasped as the sultriness of Riku's breathy voice tickled his ear and caused his manhood to leap between them. "P-please, I--"

"HEY! YOU OVER THERE!" a voice shouted from across the pond.

Both froze in place but didn't dare look in the silent hope that the voice wasn't meant for them.

"I SAID YOU! OVER THERE! HELLO!"

Both waited as still as startled deer, each holding their breath as they silently willed for the intrusive voice to move on. "Maybe if we ignore him, he'll go away," Sora hissed.

"I'M TALKING TO YOU! WHICH WAY TO THE SWAMP!?"

Riku growled in agitation and didn't even bother turning his head more than half an inch toward the bothersome passerby as he finally shouted, "Can't you see we're busy? Get lost!"

"UH, HELLO!? WE ARE ALREADY LOST!"

Sora growled with very clear frustration and gently shoved Riku away to stomp over to the shallows and confront whoever so rudely interrupted his super happy fun time. On the shore, it appears a group of six ruffians, for lack of a better word, in all different sizes were waiting. The largest one stood in front of them, appearing to be seven feet tall AT LEAST and just as wide with the smallest being half Sora's size. They appeared to be wearing distressed clothing and homemade armor and weapons. When Riku moved aside, they seemed very taken aback to see Sora covered in bandages and back up a few steps as Sora stomped to the shore. Not even caring that he's buck naked and at half-mast at this point, Sora points in the direction they need to go. "Just follow the signs to Corona. You'll come across the swamp eventually," he glared icily.

"But we're not trying to go to Corona, we're trying to find the swamp," the tall one with a hook for a hand growled.

Sora blinked at the audacity. How thick were these guys? "The signs LEAD to the swamp."

"I thought you just said they go to Corona?" another one shouted from the back.

"They lead to Corona, YES, but they also guide you to the swamp. The swamp is on the route!" Sora was really starting to lose what patience he had left and crossed his arms in front of himself.

"What the heck is wrong with you?" the big one asked.

"Wrong with ME?" Of all the nerve--!

"Yeah, you a leper or something?"

Now it was Sora's turn to be taken aback. He looked down and pointed at himself. "A leper? No, I--"

"Just stay over there, leper! Don't come any closer!" The big one warned with his hand and hook out in front of himself.

"Now wait just a minute--" Sora took a step forward so he could explain. He wasn't exactly sure why he even bothered, but everything about this situation just really ticked him off and he just wasn't having it.

"Shame on you, leper! What if you spread it to another person while bathing in there?"

Riku could see Sora escalating and hurried over after him, but Sora just kept moving forward until he was right up in the other guy's space. "MY NAME IS SORA! AND I DON'T HAVE LEPROSY!"

"STAY BACK!" the large ruffian panicked and swats Sora with a hooked hand, hitting him so hard it sends him flying into Riku. The hook got caught on a corner of the bandages on his left arm and tore them open. The tip of the hook also dragged down his skin and made a deep cut from which a steady flow of blood and black liquid came pouring out, quickly dying the pond an inky black color and terrifying the ruffians on the shore.

"PLAAAAAGUE!!!" they all scream and make a run for it.

Riku hurried to get Sora upright and cast a cure spell to try and get the wound closed. Sora apologized profusely, as he clearly didn't handle that situation very well but there wasn't much time to dwell on the situation as suddenly a group of Watercore heartless appeared, surrounding them in a large circle in the pond.

"So there are heartless here after all?" Sora asked in surprised as he regained his balance on the slick rocks and summoned his kingdom key.

Riku looked down at the black water and looked over at Sora. "We'll ask questions, later!" he decided and summoned Braveheart. "You ready?"

"Yeah, let's...go..."

Riku looked behind himself when he heard his voice falter to see Sora drop his stance and gape with a look of pure terror up at the hovering watercores. "Sora?"

Sora couldn't hear Riku's voice. He couldn't hear anything. He didn't see a watercore. He saw a lich hovering above him, surrounding him. He wasn't in Corona anymore, he was in the realm of darkness, completely surrounded, fighting for his life. "No...not here...not again..."

"SORA!!" Riku shouted as he cast a couple of dark firaga spells and quickly disposed of the water-based heartless. It really wasn't that difficult of a task, but Sora had gone extremely pale and still. Once the heartless were gone, the water went back to normal and he hurried to shake Sora out of whatever trance he appeared to be in. "SORA!"

At the contact, Sora snapped out of it and looked around to see Riku's face near his. "Riku?"

"Are you okay?" Riku asked as he cast another cure spell over Sora's open wound, which thankfully closed up quickly this time.

Sora dismissed his keyblade and clutched the spot on his bicep with his right hand. "I-I'm sorry. I froze," he muttered.

"It's okay. They were small potatoes. Let's head back to camp and get you into some new bandages. Then we can head into town if you'd like," Riku pulled him close and started walking him out of the pond.

Sora leaned on him heavily as he still felt pretty shaky. "I don't want to go into town. Let's just go ahead and see Geppetto and the others. I'm worried about them."

Riku sighed. Guess this means the vacation's over. He pressed a kiss to Sora's temple and helped him into the tent. "Okay. Then let's hurry."

In no time at all, Sora was all bandaged up, tent was packed, and they were back in the gummi ship. As they flew toward their next destination, Sora watched Corona disappear into the distance with a slightly forlorn look on his face.

"Do you feel bad about not saying good-bye?" Riku asked.

"Yeah," Sora sighed. "But we can always come back."

"That's right," Riku smiled. "Now sit in your chair properly. You're making me nervous."

"Fiiiiiine," Sora huffed and turned back around in his seat. He then looked at Riku's face to see he had a look of concern furrowing in his brow as he drove the ship. "Did you want to stop by Olympus first?"

"It wouldn't do any good. I'm almost certain it's not ready yet."

"Do you think we should call for backup? Just in case?" Sora offered. After what happened at the stream earlier, he could understand if Riku would be hesitant. He did freeze after all and what if this is some sort of trap? What if he froze again?

Riku looked over and grabbed Sora's hand as if sensing his anxiety. "I know we'll be fine," he assured him.

Sora squeezed his hand gratefully and smiled to hide how watery his eyes were becoming. "I'm sorry again...for the mess I made back there."

Riku chuckled and rubbed his thumb over the back of Sora's hand soothingly while he kept one hand on the wheel. "I thought you were pretty brave."

Sora laughed, "Thanks, but you know I meant the other part. Nice catch, by the way."

"Yeah, that kinda hurt," Riku smirked as he recalled Sora's body slamming into him. "You got thrown pretty hard. Are you okay, by the way? You looked like you were pretty shaken up."

Sora stared at the floor. "I guess I just hallucinated. But I'm okay now."

"Hey, it's alright, really. If you want, we can blame it on the mushrooms you picked this morning," Riku grinned.

Sora snapped his head up, "Ohhhhhh no! Those mushrooms were perfectly fine!"

Riku laughed openly and released Sora's hand so he could have a better grip on the steering wheel while he chortled. "I know, I know, I'm sorry! I'm just teasing you."

Sora couldn't help laughing too. "How dare you? Trying to insult my cooking!" he shouted dramatically.

"Just offering you an out!" Riku snickered and reached over to ruffle Sora's hair playfully. "But seriously, don't worry about it. I'm just glad you weren't seriously hurt."

"Thanks, Riku," Sora smiled genuinely. How does he always know just what to say? He leaned back in his chair and looked out the window to see his reflection staring back at him. There was something else bothering him, too. It was what that guy called him as he backed away. That was the first time anybody appeared disgusted or appalled by his appearance. It made him so mad.

Riku heard his noise of discontent and looked over to see him staring at himself. "Did what that moron say bother you?"

"Am I that obvious?" the brunette turned back in his seat to smile sheepishly at Riku. "He made it sound like I looked diseased or disgusting."

"You're not disgusting," Riku stated firmly. "You've been through a lot and the marks are there, but nobody in their right mind would dare say anything bad about you." He then scowled and muttered, "I'd destroy them otherwise."

Sora giggled as he felt so endeared from Riku being angry on his behalf. "You're the best, Riku."

They continued their journey on high alert for any signs of a potential trap, but once again, the journey was uneventful. The only things they ran into were quite a few rogue meteors and a few sparse sightings of heartless ships, but nothing too intense. It was almost pitiful when they picked them off. When they arrived, Sora found himself in better spirits when he saw the colorful lights of Pleasure Island and the serene-looking village that made up their destination. "I almost forgot what it looked like," he commented as Riku prepared to land.

"It wasn't that long ago, was it?" the other teen asked.

"I guess not. But it's great to see it awake, I guess is what I mean."

"That's true. You'll like the village. It's very quaint," Riku smiled and grabbed the satchel. "Ready to head down?"

"Ready!"

Riku led the way to Geppetto's cottage which Sora was amazed to see looked exactly like the one he had made for himself in Traverse Town when they escaped Monstro the Whale. All the other houses were just as colorful with small gardens and busy little cobblestone streets. Everybody seemed very merry and even as they haggled over goods and dodged kids running happily from school. "It's a lot livelier than I imagined!" Sora smiled.

"I think it's because school's out," Riku laughed. "There are a lot of small kids in this town."

When they arrived, Riku knocked on the door and Pinocchio was the one to answer. "Riku! Sora! You're back!"

"Hey, Pinocchio!" Riku greeted.

"H-hey!" Sora needed a second to recover from the shock of seeing Pinocchio as a real boy. "Long time no see!"

"Come in! I'm helping father clean up!"

The small boy led them both inside and sure enough, Geppetto was busy at work hanging his beautiful cuckoo clocks back on the wall and all of his blueprints and sketchbooks were being neatly sorted on the table by Jiminy Cricket himself.

"Hey, Jiminy!" Sora hurried over. "It's great to see you again!"

"SORA!!" Jiminy hopped up excitedly to jump into Sora's waiting hands where he hugged the teen's thumb. "So good to see you up and about!"

"How you've been, Jiminy? Uh...current events aside?"

"It's been swell! But gosh, I sure have missed you and the others. But it seems another adventure is just right around the corner, isn't it?"

"Uh...yeah...I guess you could say that," he looked up and greeted Geppetto as well. "So what happened here exactly?"

Geppetto made them all some hot cocoa before they all sat down so he could go over in detail about what happened and the mess they found when they came home.

"We were all out in the countryside having a picnic. When we got home, we found the door open and our home ransacked! But all the clocks are here! I've counted every one of them. The only things I noticed missing were some of my blueprints and recent designs. But I have so many! I can't begin to think of which ones are missing!"

"That's why I'm sorting through the ones we do have!" Jiminy added. "But he has so many sketch books that he writes in at any given time, so it's taking a while."

Sora glanced over at the many, many clocks and mechanical wooden toys lining the walls and shelves. "And it was only gummi ship designs that were stolen?"

"It's the only thing we can think of that an organization member might want anything to do with," Jiminy admitted. "But at the moment, there's really no other way to tell unless we go over every single recent idea that Geppetto has had."

"And I'll admit," Geppetto adjusted his glasses sheepishly, "My memory isn't as good as it used to be. So that's why I write almost everything down. Though this has made me realized I could do with being a little more organized."

"Hey, don't be so hard on yourself. Nobody could've predicted that something like this was going to happen," Riku pointed out.

A solemn silence filled the room but then something tumbling on the floor startled all of them. Sora looked to his left to see Pinocchio had rummaged through his pocket and the music box Riku had given him had tumbled out. "I'm sorry, Sora!"

"Pinocchio! That was very naughty!" Geppetto scolded.

"I'm sorry, I was just curious! You have such big pockets, Sora!"

"Heh heh, it's alright," he leaned over to grab the small black box and pat Pinocchio on the head. "But your dad's right. It's not nice to snoop. Besides, there could've been something sharp in there and you could've hurt yourself," Sora pointed out.

"Ohhhh, you're right!" Pinocchio nodded. "But hey, I recognize that box!" he pointed.

"You do?" Sora asked as he popped it open and let the tune play so Pinocchio could see it.

"Oh yes!" Geppetto chuckled, instantly recognizing it as well.

"The kid's sharp," Riku smiled, deciding he might as well explain since the jig was up. "I asked Geppetto to make it for you."

"Oh wow! Well, thank you! You've done such a great job!" Sora praised.

"I'm so pleased to see that you like it! When Riku told me who it was for, I poured my heart into it. I knew it was going to be something very special when I drew the designs for it."

Jiminy hopped up in realization! "WAIT! That's it!" He scurried across the table and lifted page after page of notes. "It's just as I thought! That design is missing, too!"

"What!?" Riku looked over in alarm. "Are you sure?"

"I'm almost positive!" the cricket nodded.

"Do the guys in black coats like music, Sora?" Pinocchio asked.

"Uh...I know one of them does. But why would they bother? Just to mess with us?"

"Maybe it's a warning?" Riku pondered.

After they finished their cocoa, the two offered to help clean up before they headed out, but Geppetto refused the offer. It was then that Sora pointed out one particular clock he had his eyes on. It was a cuckoo clock in the shape of a ship with dangling dolphins that rose up and down as the clock ticked and had a seagull that popped out to sing the hour. "Is that one for sale? We have a friend getting married and--"

"Of course!! I'd be delighted to sell it to you!" Geppetto cheered and hurried to get it wrapped up securely in a fresh pinewood box. He even wrapped it in exquisite cream-colored paper and tied it with a blue bow for them.

"Thank you so much! You saved us!" Sora laughed as he handed over the munny. It certainly wasn't the cheapest present he's ever purchased, but he knew for sure Ariel was going to love it. Of course, Riku pitched in half as well, but still!

"You boys be safe! We can't wait to hear all about your adventures the next time you visit!"

"Yes, be safe, you two!" Jiminy waved them good-bye. "Call us anytime!"

After they said their good-byes, they were back in the ship where Riku decided that enough time has probably passed for them to revisit Olympus. Meanwhile Sora had already put Ariel and Eric's wedding gift in the lower cabin in the safest place he could think of: his other other hidden snack cabinet. Once he was back in the cockpit with Riku and strapped in, they made their way for Mount Olympus.

Sora hummed in thought and opened his music box, allowing the melody to fill the cabin with its soothing sound as he watched the little silver meteor shower play over and over.

"What are you thinking?" Riku finally asked.

"Just that...if stealing those prints was a warning, it's very cryptic. Usually they're pretty straightforward with their threats. Then again, this isn't the Organization anymore. This is Xigbar...and he's easily the shadiest and most cryptic of all of them."

"Sounds about right, then," the keyblade master agreed. "I'm wondering about that, too. But part of me just really hopes that he just grabbed whatever and doesn't even know what he has."

Sora snickered. "Yeah, I could see that happening, too."


	29. Sweet Dreams, Happy Thoughts

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dream Eater Riku gets some much needed attention.

"So you went through all that trouble, and you don't even know how to read sheet music?"

"Okay, so I didn't think that all the way through. But I have an acquaintance that might be able to help us out."

"Can you trust them?"

"I have no idea. Probably not. But it's the best shot we got."

"I'll be honest, Luxy, this seems like a lot more trouble than it's worth."

"Don't worry, Master. I've got this."

"You still haven't bought me dinner yet."

"What are you talking about? I won that bet. You owe ME dinner."

"No, I was still late for my actual dinner plans. Therefore you owe ME."

"So...we both owe each other dinner?"

"...Yeah, I guess."

. . .

When they arrived at Olympus, Riku offered to warp down there real quick to pick up the goods only to be told that it would take a couple more hours. So Sora suggested they have a late lunch while they waited. After a quick shopping trip in Thebes, Riku suggested they have lunch on Mt. Olympus so they wouldn't have to walk too much further when the armor was ready. Thus, the two ended up having a little picnic on the mountainside with a beautiful view of the sprawling fields below. They had settled in the shade of a pomegranate tree and after filling their bellies, ended up with Sora resting against the trunk of the tree with Riku's head in his lap.

Sora peered down at Riku affectionately while he ran his fingers through his soft silver hair, the relaxing teen lying contently with his eyes closed. "I feel like I should be feeding you grapes or something," Sora joked.

"Sounds over-rated," Riku quipped. "I don't see how eating while lying down could be very comfortable. Besides, I don't think it could be any better than what we're doing now."

Sora smiled happily and both of them chuckled before settling back down into blissful silence, eventually both falling asleep.

When Riku opened his eyes, he found himself in a very colorful room filled with toys, towers, and floors painted with rainbows. "The dream eater nursery?" he muttered and sat up, rubbing his eyes as he looked around to find every single one of Sora's dream eaters dancing and bouncing about to their favorite song. The sight brought a smile to Riku's face and he stood up to greet them all, but they all suddenly seemed very distracted by something in the center of the room. Despite himself, Riku's curiosity got the better of him and found Sora in the center, practically getting smothered by his dream eaters as he happily tossed out treats for all of them to enjoy.

One such treat landed at Riku's feet and he picked it up. It was a shield cookie. "I've always wondered how these things tasted," he mumbled to himself. As he considered taking a bite, Meow-Wow bumped at his ankle with his squishy body and gave Riku the biggest puppy dog eyes it could muster. "Hey, this is mine. Get your own!" He was mostly joking, but meow-wow's expression turned dark and he quickly inflated and tackled Riku before he could run away and SNATCHED Riku's cookie in its little maw before bouncing away all proud of himself while the other Dream Eaters laughed at Riku's expense.

"Aww, Riku!" Sora giggled from behind him. "Do you want another cookie?"

"I don't need any cookies," Riku pouted as he stood and brushed himself off. But Sora was already right in his face with another shield cookie. Well, since he was offering...He kept his gaze turned to the side as he parted his mouth ever so slightly and allowed Sora to feed it to him. He tentatively took a tiny bite while avoiding Sora's excited gaze and chewed it thoughtfully. Unexpectedly, the shield cookie was soft and chewy but not too sweet.

"Is it good?" Sora asked.

Riku couldn't resist grabbing the rest of the cookie and devouring it, stat points popping up all over the place behind himself. "I guess," he huffed.

"You seem a little grumpy, Riku," Sora teased playfully while poking the elder teen's cheek. "Do you need some extra attention today?"

"Yes," Riku said bluntly and scooped Sora up in his arms to throw him over his shoulder and carry him away from the other dream eaters so he could have him all to himself.

"RIKU!!" Sora laughed while pounding at Riku's lower back, "Put me down! You're going to make the others jealous!"

"I don't care," Riku simply said as he used flowmotion to hop to one of the nests at the top of one of towers and set Sora down so he could put himself in Sora's lap. "Mine."

Sora chuckled and began running his hand through Riku's hair as the other dream eaters resumed eating the cookies that he had handed out earlier. If Riku could purr, he would have as he felt his mood change drastically as he settled into the warmth of Sora's lap and enjoyed the fingers teasing his scalp with their gentle touches. Even as his mood improved, he still found himself feeling really possessive and couldn't help snaking his arms around Sora's thin waist, which earned a soft laugh from the brunette.

"Feeling better?" Sora asked.

"Need more..." Riku murmured as he playfully bit the inside of Sora's thigh.

"Hey! Alright, alright!" the brunette laughed as he felt teeth nom at his leg. "I can give you more~" he promised in a more hushed voice as he moved his hands around Riku's torso to help him take his outer jacket off.

Riku rolled from side to side and let him remove it before settling back down. He wasn't entirely sure what Sora was getting at, but he really didn't care. He just felt this aching need to be touched, a need that would've otherwise frightened him, had he been awake. But here, it seemed like was the most normal reaction to have as he reveled in the way Sora massaged and kneaded his arms and pecs in a somewhat rough massage that he enjoyed very very much. But even so it didn't feel like nearly enough as he writhed in Sora's lap and turned around to bury his face in Sora's thighs again.

"You're so needy, Riku!" Sora giggled. "It's so cute!"

"Shut uuuuuuuupppppp..." Riku whined as he nommed at Sora's leg again. "Want more."

"Then that's what you'll get," Sora snickered as he pulled at the back of Riku's shirt and yanked it over his head, peeling off the muscle tank entirely.

Riku was caught off guard as the fabric was quickly tugged over his head and tossed aside, now starting to regret his pining demands. "Wait--"

"I'm just doing what you asked, Riku~" Sora murmured as he started trailing his fingers down Riku's back and tracing the pink dream eater symbol emblazoned there. "Don't you like this?"

Riku gasped and moaned into Sora's leg as he gripped the side of his thigh and dug his fingers into his side pockets to force himself to keep still. Wherever his fingers touched sent electricity coursing through his entire being and he could see sparks behind his eyelids. He wondered if this is what the other dream eaters see when Sora interacts with them.

"I'll take that as a yes," the brunette snickered as he continued his ministrations, slowly pressing harder and harder as he kneaded away the stress knots that have built up Riku's back and shoulder blades.

Each wonderful stroke of Sora's fingers down his spine brought Riku pure ecstasy. He couldn't even hold back his moans anymore as those wonderful fingers played him like a fiddle. Finally he couldn't take anymore and spun around in his lap to sit up and force Sora into a lip-searing kiss. Said kiss had Sora giggling into his mouth as he gently tried to push him away, but that only fueled Riku to deepen it any further. But unexpectedly, Sora dragged his fingernails down the middle of his back and the sensation nearly made him explode, causing him to gasp to let out a loud moan. Once he broke the kiss, the brunette took advantage of his startled state to shove him back down so that he was on top. "S-Sora!!" he pleaded, but he didn't know what for.

Sora only giggled again and kissed the tip of his nose before whispering, "Your eyes are so pretty, Riku~"

The silverette felt his face burn and he swallowed hard as he caught the way Sora gazed down at him. He longed to reach up and grab him, but he also didn't want to break the pin that his lover had on him. He wanted to take him but he also loved being at his mercy too!

"Tell me what you want, Riku..."

The dream eater cursed inwardly at his own words being used against him, and so effectively too. "You, Sora. I want you!"

But then, like a curse sent from the heavens above, a splash of cold water put a damper on the situation. Literally.

Riku and Sora awoke to find themselves surrounded by water AND fire cores! One of them had already tossed a giant orb of water at the both of them and startled them out of their sleep. Sora was dazed for a minute, but Riku was quick on his feet (never mind how wobbly he felt in the knees) and was plenty ready to kick some heartless ass!

"REALLY!? AGAIN!?" Riku shouted in frustration as he summoned Braveheart and wasted no time using his shotlock to send a stream of Dark Firaga bursts at every single enemy.

"Probably should've seen this coming by now," Sora muttered as he cast aeroga and jumped into the cyclone of wind to launch himself high into the air and come down with an earth-shaking smash attack to wipe out the remaining stragglers. Once the heartless were eliminated, he looked over at Riku who was still glaring out at nothing as if DARING any other enemies to show up. "Riku?"

"I'm fine," Riku muttered and turned to face Sora. "Maybe we should start heading up."

"No, you're not fine," Sora insisted. Riku's eyes were a dangerously dark green color. He offered his hand. "Come here."

Riku sighed and dismissed Braveheart before walking over to take his offered hand. "Really, I'm fine," he insisted.

Sora wasn't hearing any of it though and as soon as he had Riku's hand he led him over to the waterfall cascading from the side of the cliff. Since they were already wet, he didn't hesitate walking past the wall of water to take him inside the cave hidden behind it. "Nothing should bother us here," he whispered with his finger pressed to his lips.

"Then why are we whispering?" Riku whispered back.

The brunette simply winked and took him to the back of the cave where some broken pottery was laying around and pulled Riku down to sit on one of the cave's natural shelves so he could kneel before him.

"Sora, what are you--?"

"Shhh~" Sora shushed him before capturing his mouth in a hot, wet kiss while his hands felt down Riku's biceps and traveled down to his waist. "Please, let me take care of you," he whispered.

"But you don't need to..." Riku insisted breathily as he reached to cup Sora's face.

"But I want to," Sora replied softly before pressing his lips to Riku's again and gifting him with numerous soft kisses.

Riku moaned breathily and leaned back against the cave wall while Sora's left hand went further down to cup him between the legs, causing him to gasp and immediately buck into the other's hand. Despite himself, he cried out Sora's name. Though it wasn't very loud, it had enough volume for his voice to bounce off the walls of the cave.

Sora giggled cutely and whispered huskily into Riku's ear, barely audible over the sound of the waterfall behind him. "Careful, or something might hear us."

Riku bit his bottom lip and stared down at Sora's hand as it continued to rub him between his legs. His movements seemingly a lot more shy than what his teasing words were letting on. Eventually, Sora did undo his pants and let him out and he hissed audibly as he felt himself get exposed to the cool, misty air.

The brunette could help staring in awe at Riku's girth through the dim light of the cave. Suddenly he felt very nervous as he realized he wasn't even sure what Riku liked. Shyly, he ran a thumb along the heavy sack and underside of his shaft, eyes widening as it jumped at the barest touch. As the evidence of his desire began leaking from the tip, he felt his confidence start to disappear, but then he felt Riku's hand cover his reassuringly and guide his movements, gently allowing him to grip his throbbing manhood and waiting until he was ready before guiding him through the next motion. Eventually Sora got the hang of it and leaned into Riku to wrap one arm around his waist while his other hand stroked him to completion. As he did so, he buried his head into Riku's neck so he could hear him moan deliciously into his ear while he kissed and nibbled on his neck.

It wasn't too long before Riku let out a strangled cry of Sora's name and gripped him tightly as he came into Sora's waiting hand. What the brunette couldn't catch, he moved away so it landed elsewhere and he continued to cup him while he softened so he wouldn't get any on himself. Both their breaths heaving, their movements stilled for several very long moments before pulling away and smiling at each other, albeit somewhat awkwardly.

"Sora...that was..."

"I'll try to do better next time," Sora chuckled while scratching his cheek with his clean finger.

Riku flushed even more and stood up shakily, putting himself away before kissing Sora on the cheek. "You did great."

Sora blushed happily and the two gathered themselves a little better, taking full advantage of the waterfall before they climbed the inside of the cave as a shortcut to the top. Only instead of climbing, they of course used flowmotion. Once they reached the top, Riku glanced proudly at Sora as he landed next to him. "Look at you. You're recovering so fast!"

"Huh?" Sora looked down the steep cliff. "I didn't even think about it. I guess I am!" he grinned happily as he took Riku's hand and they continued the rest of the way to the warp portal on foot to then warp to the actual stairs leading to Mt. Olympus.

Once they got to the stairs, Sora's expression changed drastically and he froze in place. Riku only noticed when he moved forward and felt Sora's hand holding him in place. "Are you okay?"

"I..." Sora's eyes widened and flicked back and forth as he saw hundreds of heartless crawl obscenely over the stairs and gates and even further beyond that he could see a lich hovering, as if waiting for his arrival. "I...think I should wait here."

Riku looked behind him and didn't see anything of note, but if Sora didn't want to go, there must've been a very good reason. He gently placed a hand on his shoulder, the contact seemingly pulling him out of whatever had him so shaken. "Are you going to be okay waiting by yourself?"

"Y-yeah. I wanted to pick up a few things from the moogle shop anyway," he pointed at said hologram hovering next to the warp point they just utilized. "Besides, I should sit down. I feel a little tired."

Riku decided not to press the matter and kissed Sora on the forehead. "I won't be long," he promised before leaving him.

As Riku walked away, Sora resisted the urge to grab him, but once he went beyond the gate, the heartless he saw earlier all disappeared. "I'm losing my mind," he muttered to himself. With a sigh, he turned to face the moogle hologram. "Hiya!"

"Good afternoon, kupo! Whatcha need? Kupo!" the adorable moogle greeted.

"I was wondering if you could synthesize something for me? Something custom?" Sora asked as he dug into his pockets.

"Custom? Kupo...how custom?"

Sora pulled the mystery goo, cord, and pretty stone out of his pockets and offered them to the moogle. "I want to make a bracelet, but I don't know how to attach the stone to the cord. Any ideas?"

"Hmmm...I can do that for you. But in exchange, can I keep the leftover mystery goo, kupo?"

"Absolutely!" Sora grinned. "Sounds fair."

"Just give me a moment, then!"

In no time at all, the moogle shop synthesized a charm for the bracelet Sora wanted to make using the materials he provided. Overjoyed, Sora bought a few extra potions and took a seat next to the warp portal. Once he found a nice patch of clouds to settle on, he began weaving the bracelet in earnest. A long time ago, Kairi showed him how to weave friendship bracelets. She told him that if you receive one, you're supposed to make a wish and if you wear it until it breaks, your wish will come true. "While I like the idea of Riku having a wish granted, I'm afraid he's going to have to wait a while," Sora snickered to himself as he did his best to weave one that would last. The first few rows were a little awkward as his fingers tried to remember the movements, but once he got going, his fingers flew with practiced precision. The moogle even took notice of how deftly his fingers moved as he tied the other end to his own shoelaces to keep the cord taught while he worked.

"Wow, you're fast, kupo!"

"Heh heh, thanks. My friend Kairi taught me how to make them so I could help her make them. We had a school fair where all the kids sold stuff they made and I had time on my hands because my mom baked the cookies," he explained.

"That was nice of you to help her. But shame on you for making your mom do all the work, kupopo."

"Haha, yeah, I know," Sora grinned sheepishly. "Riku told me off, too."

"Sounds like you have really good friends, kupo!"

"Yeah, I do. They're the best," he chuckled softly to himself as his fingers continued to work without missing a beat. Riku was gone for a good twenty minutes and Sora was nearly finished, so he took this moment to slip the white pretty stone charm onto the bracelet and finished braiding the rest of the length that was supposed to go into the loop. After a few tugs to test its durability, he proudly showed the moogle his handiwork. "What do you think?"

"Oooh! I think he'll like it very much, kupo!" the moogle applauded.

"Haha! I hope so too!" Sora cheered just as he heard the gate open behind him. He hurriedly pocketed the bracelet and waved good-bye to the moogle shop before getting up to hurry over and greet the keyblade master. "How'd it go?"

"Take off your jacket and I'll show you," Riku smiled.

"Okay?" Sora did so obediently just as Riku showed him what appeared to be a gold brooch in the shape of a very familiar heart symbol attached to a black harness made of two straps. It reminded him a lot of the harnesses that Ven and the others wore. "Is that it?"

"This is it!" Riku answered as he attached the harness to Sora and let him put his jacket back on.

The straps blended easily into Sora's shirt and the gold brooch centered just below his treasured crown necklace. It felt so light that Sora scarcely even realized it was there.

"So now what?" he asked curiously.

"So when you need it, you just slap your palm against it like this!" Riku demonstrated by slapping the brooch and it glowed brightly and unfurled into the chest plate Sora had before, only it covered him on top of his black shirt as it snaked around his body to resume being a protective barrier for him.

"Whoa!!" Sora gasped and laughed happily. "This is awesome!" he slapped it again for himself and it folded right back into being a brooch. "That's so cool!"

"I'm glad you like it! I thanked them for you," Riku added as he ruffled Sora's hair, happy to see him so pleased.

"Thanks, Riku. I do want to thank them myself eventually, but..." he peered behind Riku and began to feel sick as the hallucinations threatened to come into view again.

"Don't worry about it. I'm sure they understand. So now that you're all suited up again, how about we head back to Yen Sid's tower and give them an update?"

"Sounds like a plan! I'm sure the others are already there and waiting for us!"


	30. The Snuggle, The Struggle

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The council of keybladers will now commence! Also Kairi brings a weird new skill to the table.

The gummi ship sailed effortlessly through the stars as the keyblade duo made their way to Yen Sid's tower. Said world had been relocated due to the rise in heartless numbers clogging the usual route. Frankly, both were relieved to not have to fight their way through again after what happened last time. However, even without any heartless around, Sora found his pain steadily getting worse and worse to the point that he couldn't even sit or lie down comfortably. It was only when he was making contact with Riku did he feel any relief.

And that's how they ended up how they are now. Sora's just straddling Riku's lap, arms draped over his shoulders in a perpetual hug, a position in which he's fallen asleep in while Riku drives. It was a little awkward resting his chin on Sora's shoulder while he controlled the gummi ship, but the brunette insisted that this was the only way he could be comfortable. _It's kind of weird being a human pain killer._ Occasionally, Sora would stir and groan in his sleep and Riku found himself rubbing soothing circles into his back until he settled again. Riku decided he doesn't mind, but it was an interesting challenge to drive the gummi ship without disturbing him. Sometimes Sora's head would fall off his shoulder and he'd readjust to help prop him back up before he eventually pulled them both to the side. Sure, his thighs were numb at this point and Sora's hair kept tickling his nose, but he kept telling himself as long as Sora was happy, then they're both happy. Never mind that his pecs were also incredibly sweaty at this point. Maybe this would've been a lot more enjoyable if he didn't have to focus on driving, too. But since they've never been to this new location before he couldn't put the ship on auto-pilot. _The struggle..._

"So Riku, what's it like being a keyblade master?" he muttered to himself in a high-pitched voice. "Oh, it's so great, I get to travel to different worlds, sometimes beat bad guys, sometimes get my ass kicked, you know. And sometimes I gotta chase after a crazy version of my boyfriend but sometimes I get to drive a space ship while receiving very long hugs," he answered himself. Sora let out a soft snore and Riku couldn't help snickering. "It's pretty great."

When the mystical tower finally came into view, Riku allowed himself a good stretch and kissed Sora's cheek before waking him. "Time to wake up, Sora."

"Nnnn..." Sora stirred and peeled his face off of Riku's jacket, which left a sizeable imprint on his face. "Already?"

Riku snorted as he tried to hold in his laughter but he couldn't keep the smile off his lips. "Y-yup."

"What?"

"N-nothing. *snort* You got something on your face."

"I do?" Sora groggily put a hand to his face and felt the lines there. "Oh no!"

Riku finally lost it and erupted into full-blown laughter. "Do you need a minute?"

"It's not funny, Riku!" Sora whined as he dismounted Riku's lap.

"No, you're right, not funny at all." Riku snorted again.

"Yeah, well, your moobs are sweaty!" Sora pointed out.

"Well whose fault is that?" Riku huffed. "Yours are sweaty too!" he pointed out as he changed his shirt.

"YOUR BUTTONS PUT HOLES IN MY FACE!!!" Sora whined!

"AGAIN, THAT'S YOUR FAULT!!" Riku cackled.

The two took a minute to get themselves situated before they touched down. Since they weren't sure when they were going to get time to do it, they decided to get Sora into a fresh set of bandages and packed an overnight bag and the satchel before exiting the ship. The slight delay thankfully allowed the lines on Sora's face to fade away, so he was pleased. "I forgive you," he kissed Riku's cheek while the glass door opened.

"Gee, thanks. But I wasn't asking," Riku smirked as he climbed the ladder and waited to help Sora down.

"I know~," Sora giggled while he followed at a slower pace, Riku's hands on his hips giving him extra support until his feet finally hit the soft grass. "I feel unsteady," he observed before summoning his keyblade crutch to lean on.

"I'd be surprised if you didn't. I'm still getting the numbness out of my legs," Riku muttered.

"Getting the numbness out of what now?" a voice rang from behind one of the bushes. Xion was there gathering blackberries. "Hey, guys!"

"Xion!" Sora hobbled over to give her a one-armed hug. "It's so good to see you!"

"You too, Sora! You look great!" When she separated from him she had tears sparkling in her eyes. "I'm so happy to see you."

"Aww, Xion," Sora started getting weepy too and pulled her into another hug.

Xion squeezed him even tighter during the second hug while also glancing over at Riku. "Thank you for taking such good care of him, Riku."

"Of course," Riku smiled and ruffled her hair. They all separated and chuckled awkwardly for a second as two of them wiped the tears from the corners of their eyes. Eager to change the subject, Riku pointed out the basket she was carrying. "Finding a lot of blackberries?"

"Oh yes!" she giggled. "Ventus and I are trying to bake a blackberry pie for dessert tonight!"

"Sounds yummy! Are the others here?" Sora asked.

"Yeah! They're all settling in right now. I think we're having a meeting in an hour and then we're having dinner."

"Are we just going to skim over the fact that Ventus is baking a pie or--" Riku interjected but Xion had already grabbed Sora's hand and started dragging him inside to see the others, leaving Riku to follow. "Hey, wait up!"

She immediately led them to the kitchen where Isa and Lea were pouring over a cook book with Naminé while Kairi was hard at work chopping the vegetables. It appeared they were preparing a curry. Meanwhile Ventus was getting supervision from Aqua while he prepared pie dough and Terra was already cleaning flour from the ceiling while fighting with one of the walking brooms. In the far right of the crowded kitchen, Roxas was butterflying and seasoning the pork. "NOW is the part where I smash it with the meat hammer right?"

Naminé shouted back, "It's pork tenderloin; it should be tender enough!"

"But that's the only reason I volunteered!" Roxas groaned.

Axel laughed, "If you hit with the meat hammer, you have to wash it later."

"Ugh...decisions..." Roxs grumbled.

"Guys, look who's here!" Xion shouted over the din of the kitchen.

Everybody looked up and shouted happily, "SORA!!!"

"Hey guys! Smells good in here!" Sora greeted shyly, unsure if he was ready to have so much attention on him at once.

Kairi was the first to drop her knife and run over to squeeze Sora and Riku tightly. "We missed you sooooooo much!" she groaned loudly into their chests, her squealing muffled by their jackets.

Sora and Riku returned the hug just as tightly. As soon as they released her, one person after the other hurried over to take her place. Soon, Sora was covered in carrot peelings, curry dust, salt, pepper, and flour by the time he got around to everyone. Somebody even got curry paste on his arm and he licked it off to find it was a mild curry sauce. "Yum! So I take it we're having curry?" he grinned.

"Well we're trying to," Isa pointed out, having been the only one who greeted Sora with a nod instead of a hug. "But we had a hard time agreeing on the spice level."

"Well how about we let our special guest decide?" Axel suggested. "What do you think, Sora?"

"I think this mild sauce you have ready already tastes great!" Sora praised.

"Thanks, Sora!" Naminé beamed. "Then that settles it." She looked between Isa and Lea. "So go get the sauce and rice ready, you two."

From the back, they could hear hammering in the background as Roxas decided to pulverize the meat and Kairi hurried over to rein him back in. "It's a curry, not a mince, Roxas!"

Riku and Sora laughed and decided to say hello to Yen Sid and get settled in really quick. But when they left them to their work, Sora looked up the long stretch of stairs and started having second thoughts. "There was a warp point around here before, right?"

Riku looked over at Sora to see he was looking a little pale. "Are you going to be okay?"

"Yeah, fine. Just...I feel heavy," the brunette looked up to see the concerned look on Riku's face. "I mean, I'll be fine. But I'd like to keep the walking to a minimum. My back really hurts."

"Probably because of the way you insisted on napping during the trip here," Riku pointed out while lightly punching Sora's shoulder.

"I have no regrets," Sora shrugged with a smirk.

"Well I'm not carrying you, so we're going to have to find that warp point."

"Darn it," Sora snapped his fingers.

Thankfully, they only had to go up one short flight of stairs before they found the warp point which they utilized to zip straight to Yen Sid's study. There, they found Donald, Goofy, the King and of course Master Yen Sid himself.

"Wow, so everybody's here!" Sora greeted.

"SOWAAAAAAA!!" Donald shrieked as he ran over to tackle Sora in a bone-crushing hug.

"Careful, Donald, a-hyuck!" Goofy called after him, though his hugs weren't any more delicate.

"Haha, aww!" the king chuckled as they dog-piled on top of their former traveling companion.

"GUYS!" Sora called out from underneath them. "You're killing me!"

Riku hurried and jumped into action, gently pulling Goofy off and yanking Donald off of him rather roughly.

"Hey! WHAZ THE BIG IDEA!" Donald flailed as Riku lifted him by the back of his shirt.

"You're hurting him," Riku said simply. "You need to be careful."

Goofy nervously looked down to see Sora's eyes rolling back into his head. "Gawsh, Sora!" he bent over and offered a hand to get him back on his feet. "We were so excited to see you, we forgot you were still on the mend."

"It's okay, really," Sora chuckled sheepishly while he let Goofy pull him up. "I'm happy to see you, too."

"PUT ME DOWN, WIKU!"

"Oh. Sorry," Riku apologized as he gently set the court magician back down who crossed his arms in a huff.

"Settle down, everybody. Sora, I'm happy to see you in good spirits," the wise master greeted.

"Thank you, Master. It really is good to see everybody," Sora nodded after he brushed himself off.

"Gosh, you even look taller!" Mickey pointed out.

"Wow, really? Thanks, Mickey!" Sora swelled with pride.

Master Yen Sid smiled as if he agreed. "We have much to catch up on and many matters to discuss. But I'm sure you'd like to get settled first. The brooms have set up rooms for you on the same floor as the others."

"Oh, great," the brunette forced a smile. "Then Riku and I will go do that."

"We'll see you in an hour," Riku nodded to the king and Yen Sid before helping Sora out the door where they had to find the stairs again.

Sora huffed as he clung to the bannister. "You know these rooms keep rearranging themselves. How do we know which floor is the one we're supposed to go to?"

"The stairs will show us the way," Riku assured him as he kept pace beside him in case he stumbled. "Just hang in there for a little longer and I'll rub your back when we get there."

"Okay," Sora smiled, now further motivated. It wasn't too long before Riku was proven right and they found the guest floor with many doors arranged in one big circle, each with a chalkboard placard with each guest's name on it. Most notably, Axel, Isa, Aqua, and Terra's names didn't appear to be on any of the doors, so they must not be on this floor. Sora read them off. "Kairi, Namine, there's you, Riku, Ven, Xion, Roxas, and there's me." At the realization that he and Riku have different rooms so far apart from each other he felt his heart sank. "So...I guess we're sleeping separately?"

Riku held his hand and walked him over to his room. "You've slept without me before," he reminded him.

"Yeah, but those were naps," Sora pouted as Riku held the door open for him. Once they were inside, Riku closed the door and Sora made his way over to the twin-sized bed and already made quick work of kicking off his shoes and shedding his outer jacket.

Riku chuckled and set down both their bags before kicking off his own shoes and joining Sora on the bed. "If you can't sleep, just call me and I'll be right over," he promised.

"Alright," Sora nodded and laid down on his stomach so Riku could get to work. "You know, I've just realized we haven't told any of them."

"About what?" Riku asked as he shoved his hands under Sora's shirt and gently prodded at his back to feel for any knots that needed his immediate attention.

"About us," Sora muttered.

"Oh...yeah, I guess we haven't," Riku mumbled as he worked Sora's lower back with his thumbs. He thought back to the photos he posted on kingstagram of him and Sora romping through the flowers and showing off their festival crowns. He posted without having considered whether or not they told everybody yet and wondered if it was obvious enough with those posts alone. "Are you really that bothered that they put us in separate rooms?" he chuckled.

"Maaaaaaaaaaybe," Sora winced as he Riku thumbed his worst spots. "OOH, there. Yup. You found it."

"Right here?" Riku rubbed again, using his palms this time.

"UNH! YES!" Sora cried out.

Riku chuckled, "Shhhhh, you're too loud!"

"I can't help iiiiiiiiiiiiiiiit!" the brunette whined as he lightly flailed his feet. "It feels too good!"

"I'm barely touching you!" the keyblade master laughed while he worked his way up Sora's spine.

"Well don't stop!" Sora wriggled.

"I will if you don't stop wiggling so much. I can't get a good grip!"

Suddenly there was a knock on the door. "Sora? Riku?" Kairi's voice called out. "Are you decent?"

"Kairiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii!" Sora groaned. "I had higher hopes for you!"

"You can come in," Riku answered, never ceasing his ministrations.

Kairi came with a small leather tote bag that looked very similar to an old-timey doctor's bag. "Hey guys! You busy?"

"A little," Sora groaned into the pillow he had clutched under himself.

"Don't mind him," Riku smirked as he kneaded the back of Sora's neck and shoulders. "What's up?"

"I thought since we had some time before the meeting and I already finished my part in the kitchen that we'd go over Sora's progress," she glanced over at Sora whose face was still buried in the pillow. "If that's okay."

"Is fiiiiiiiiiiiiiiine..." Sora moaned, earning laughter from both of his friends.

While Riku continued to give Sora his rub-down, he let Kairi look at the bandages Elsa and Anna have made which made the princess really excited. "Can I have a sample for the lab?"

"Go ahead. The queen gave us a whole crate," the silverette nodded as he straddled Sora's back so he could add more pressure with his upper body's weight instead of relying on his arm strength, which caused Sora to groan even more with approval.

"Can I feel it?" Kairi asked, not really waiting for Sora to say yes before she poked the bandages wrapped around his waist to feel the stiff texture. "Wow, it feels like packed snow!"

"KAIRI!" Sora giggled. "That tickles!"

"Sorry!" she snickered as she pulled out her notebook and started scribbling some notes. "So I have all of Riku's updates written down already. Any other new developments happen?"

"Oh yeah! I wanted to surprise you. Sora's chest has closed!" Riku smiled broadly.

"W-wait, it did!?" Kairi's eyes widened and tears of joy immediately began to form.

"Wait, you didn't tell her?" Sora pushed himself up on his arms.

"Neither did you, dummy. Go ahead and show her!" Riku dismounted him to let him sit up properly and undid one of the loops around Sora's back to allow the roll of bandages to slide off.

"W-wait!"

Kairi wasted no time getting to her feet and shoving Sora's shirt up so she could see for herself. "Sora!! Omigosh!! Why didn't you two tell me???" she sobbed openly while she took in the sight of his wound being closed up at long last.

"Kairi..." Sora whimpered and opened his arms for a hug, which Kairi happily accepted as she sobbed the rest of her happy tears into his shoulder.

"You're both such jerks, making me cry like this before our meeting!" she joked between her hiccups.

"We're sorry!" Sora chuckled sheepishly.

"Speak for yourself," Riku muttered.

"It's okay!" Kairi pulled away suddenly with a look of mischief in her eyes that scared the both of them. "You can make it up to me by trying out this new technique I learned."

"Wait, what?" Sora asked. "Technique for what?"

Riku was also suspicious. "Kaaaaaaairiiiiiii?"

"Don't worry, it's super safe! And it doesn't hurt!" Kairi gave a thumbs up before diving into her bag and emerging with small glass spheres with openings in each hand.

"Okay, now I'm nervous," Sora sweat dropped. "What the heck are those?"

"Ever heard of fire cupping?" Kairi asked cheekily.

"You are NOT doing that to Sora," Riku frowned.

"Relaaaaax! There isn't going to be any fire involved!" Kairi promised.

"Then how would it work?" the silverette asked pointedly.

"Guys, what is fire cupping?" Sora asked, now getting EXCEPTIONALLY worried.

"It doesn't matter, because she's not--"

"I'm glad you asked, Sora!" Kairi interrupted with a big grin on her face. "I learned how to do it from a traditional doctor in Radiant Garden. It's an ancient technique used to increase circulation and move toxins around on your body. But I've modified it to help us EXTRACT the toxins from your body."

"Don't the bandages already do that?" Sora asked.

"Yes, but if this works, regular treatments can help you get rid of them faster before they build up too much," she explained proudly.

"Hmm..." Sora considered the implications. To be fair, despite the progress they've been making with removing the crystals, it seems like the darkness output keeps getting worse and worse. If he hadn't used rage form a while back, he'd probably be in his wheelchair by now. Given the nature of the transformation, he'd like to not have to rely on rage form whenever he needed a hardcore detox. "Well, if you're confident, then let's try it."

"WHAT!?"

"YES!" Kairi cheered. "Don't worry, Sora, you won't regret it!"

"Sora! You don't even know what it is! Kairi, come on!" Riku pleaded.

"How bad could it be? I trust Kairi!"

Riku raised his hands in defeat and got off the edge of the bed. "I'm not having any part of this!"

The red head reached into her bag and pulled out a couple of fresh white towels and tossed them to Riku. "Don't worry, you can just catch. Sora, take your shirt off and lay back down on your stomach."

The silverette caught the towels, "CATCH!?"

Sora complied obediently, "So I just lay here?"

"Yeah, just like that. You're going to feel a pulling sensation, but I'm going to start small so you can get used to it," Kairi explained as she put on some gloves and clipped the rest of Sora's bandages off so his back was completely bare.

"I just changed those," Riku grumbled and tossed them to the trashcan. They did absorb some dark goop so at least they didn't go completely to waste.

"Come on, Riku. This is for science!" Kairi moved to straddle Sora's back as she snapped on some gloves and readied one of her glass globes. "Ready, Sora?"

"I guess," the brunette squeezed the pillow underneath himself. Sure, Kairi said it wouldn't hurt, but he wasn't 100% confident in that statement.

Riku observed at a safe distance and watched as Kairi raised a single finger and summoned an orb of light at the tip of it before stuffing it into the glass globe. After which, she applied the opening to Sora's back and pulled it off again, making an odd suctioning noise as it tugged and released his skin.

"Whoa! That feels weird!!" Sora shouted.

"But did it hurt?" Kairi asked.

"No," he admitted. "But still weird."

"Well that was just a test run. We're just getting started."

"Oh boy..."

"Try to hold still!" Kairi warned before summoning another orb inside the strange jar and applying it again, this time plopping it onto his skin several times all over his back. "How's that feel?"

Sora groaned, "It's so weird, but I don't hate it. It's like getting sucked on with a vacuum!"

"And you're sure it doesn't hurt, Sora?" Riku asked with concern.

"Not at all. But I think I feel that circulation thing Kairi was talking about."

"Good!" Kairi sounded pleased. "Now we're going to try the extraction part. Are you ready?"

"As ready as I'll ever be, I guess."

"Right! Here we go!"

Riku figured out why he was given the towels and held his breath as he inched closer. Kairi grabbed more jars and one after another, placed more light orbs inside them and left them on Sora's back, leaving a total of six suctioned tightly in rows of three on each side of his spine. The keyblade master watched squeamishly while he observed large portions of Sora's skin getting sucked up into the jars and with it, large amounts of black goo started seeping through his skin and into the jars.

"WHOOOOOAAAAA!" Sora squirmed. "That does not feel right! THIS DOES NOT. FEEL. RIGHT!"

"Just hang in there, Sora. Ten more seconds and I promise I'll take them off! Take a deep breath. Riku, do you have the towels ready?"

"Y-yeah," Riku had them at the ready, though he wasn't exactly sure what Kairi expected him to do. Each globe was the size of a baseball and each were already half full of black goo!

"Alright, Sora, ready? Let out that breath slowly. It's okay if you scream, just let it out."

Sora did as she said, but he wasn't so much screaming as much as he was moaning VERY loudly as she slid the globes over his skin and popped them off one by one. With each one she popped off, she grabbed a towel from Riku and wiped off the excess quickly while tipping the jars right-side up so as not to spill it everywhere. As she handed each one off to Riku, he hurriedly put them on the bedside table until finally they were all removed and Sora had gooped up three towels for the trash can to enjoy.

"Phew! That's that!" Kairi gave a thumbs up to Riku and hopped off of Sora. "How do you feel?"

"Unhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh...So much lighter...like...less clogged. Less pain..."

"You okay over there, Sora?" Riku asked. "You sound kind of weird."

"Just taking in the moment," the brunette explained. "I'm fine. Just...need a minute. That was...very interesting, Kairi." He finally took a breath and moved to sit up. Upon doing so, he took notice of the jars filled with liquid darkness. "Wow, you managed to remove that much?"

"Yeah!" Kairi cheered proudly. "Isn't it great?"

"You did good, Kairi!" Riku admitted. "I'm sorry I doubted you."

"Haha," Kairi winked. "It's okay, I forgive you. If this works, I think we should do this once every two weeks. What do you think?"

"That far apart?" Sora asked as he rubbed the spots on his back. "Ooh, that's tender."

Riku peered behind him and busted out laughing at the large red spots left behind on Sora's back. "You look like you have giant hickies on your back!"

"That's why we should wait. I don't want to risk tearing the skin," Kairi explained simply while she opened trash can and simply dumped the goop into its open mouth. "Thank you for your service."

"Can I put my shirt back on now?" Sora asked, now feeling incredibly self-conscious...and cold!

"After I get you wrapped up again!"

"WAAAAAHHHHH!!" Sora flopped back on the bed.

In what felt like no time at all, the bell rang to summon everybody to Master Yen Sid's study and they all gathered for the meeting. The wise master even prepared a chair for Sora to sit in, which the brunette was extremely grateful for. Kairi's treatment helped immensely, but he was having a weird case of jello legs as a result.

Once everybody had settled, Yen Sid greeted everybody first. "First of all, I want to thank you all for coming. Of course, I think I speak for all of us when I say we're very happy to see how Sora's progress is coming along and that we wish you a speedy recovery."

"Thanks, everybody," Sora smiled while a blush graced his face, slightly embarrassed at the attention but pleased all the same.

"And now for the reason why we're here. Sora, I know you've been through much. But your experiences have also affected Xion, Roxas, and Ventus and may lead to more information that will help us. And," he indicated to Axel and Isa, "I believe there is more information to be contributed about the former Organization member known as Xigbar."

"Right," Sora nodded. "I have to admit, though, there's a lot I don't remember."

Everybody looked at him, seemingly surprised at this news.

Sora took a deep breath as Riku gripped his shoulder reassuringly. He's just now realizing this is the first time he's recounted everything that's happened to him before he was put into a coma. "I...I don't know where to begin."

"Well, they say the best place to start is from the beginning," King Mickey encouraged.

"Right," Sora chuckled awkwardly.

"Perhaps, it'd be best to start with the information regarding Xigbar?" the wizard offered and looked to the four former organization members.

"Right," Axel stood forward. He went into detail about how Xigbar was a sniper and the general attitude he had towards Roxas and Xion. Isa explained how closely he worked alongside Xehanort and Xemnas, even closer than he ever managed to, and how he was often given assignments pertaining to things that he'd never give reports on.

"And whenever he saw me," Xion spoke up. "He spoke of seeing another person's face. He said, "Why is it whenever I look at you, I see HIS face?" We now think that face might've been Ven's."

"That's right," Ven spoke up. "We've encountered him before he turned into a nobody. Back when his name was Braig. He tricked Terra and helped Xehanort take control of his body. And he fought Aqua."

"But what I don't understand," Kairi spoke up. "Is why he would work so closely with Xehanort this whole time and yet not be around when Xehanort met his end. What did he gain from it?"

"I think he's been biding his time," Sora added, gaining the attention of everybody in the room. "This Master of Masters that attacked me, he wielded Xehanort's keyblade. Xigbar even said, "The old coot promised to bequeath me his." What if he was just waiting for Xehanort to hand over that keyblade this entire time?"

"It's an old keyblade, indeed," Yen Sid spoke. "When I was a boy in school with Master Xehanort and Master Eraqus, that very keyblade was hung on the wall where we studied. We called it "No Name"."

"What's the significance of this keyblade?" Aqua wondered out loud. "And what's its connection to this Master of Masters?"

"Anybody notice that Young Xehanort had a different keyblade?" Sora chipped in.

"Wait!" Aqua interrupted. "Ven, you know something."

The blond keyblade wielder had been staring at the ground with his arms crossed for the past couple of minutes. Upon hearing his name he looked up. "You're kinda putting me on the spot here, Aqua."

"Come on, Ven. You saw Sora's memories in your sleep and you were screaming. You know something. You can do it, please try to remember," Aqua pleaded as she reached for his hand. "You must know something."

"I don't know much more than Master Yen Sid might already know," he nodded to the wizard who raised an eyebrow in surprise. "There was a keyblade war and a Book of Prophecies, right?"

"That is correct, but little is known about the war itself," Master Yen Sid said gently.

"The Master of Masters WROTE the Book of Prophecies," Ven finally revealed. "And he's bad news!"

"WAAAAA--!??!" Sora sat up straighter and leaned forward in his chair to look over at Ven. "You're telling me this guy can tell the future!?"

"Look, all I know is that he had 6 apprentices. Five of them were masters and led guilds. Each one had a Book of Prophecies. And supposedly the war started because of this book. Nobody knows how he wrote it, but he disappeared just before the war started. That's all I know," Ven insisted while he clutched his head in irritation.

"How do you know that, Ven?" Aqua asked gently.

"I don't know...maybe Master Xehanort told me? I'm not sure. That could be right. He spoke about a lot of weird stuff while he was putting me through his training sessions."

Terra nodded and gripped Ven's shoulder. "That sounds very likely. I think I've glanced at similar information."

"Soooooo...this Master of Masters guy is a time traveler like Master Xehanort?" Sora asked.

"Hmmmmmm..." Goofy scratched his head. "But if he's that old, somebody from this time would've had to know who he is for him to travel here, right? A-hyuck! Who could that be?"

Riku pondered, "You don't think..."

They all looked up at once, "XIGBAR!?"

"WAAAAAAAAGHGGHGHHA!!" Donald squawked.

Sora gasped and clutched his head, "He did call him Master over and over. What if the Master of Masters really was Xigbar's master? Is he one of the six apprentices that Ven mentioned?"

"I'm not sure how, but it seems like it's becoming a very likely possibility," Master Yen Sid nodded gravely. "Is there any place Xigbar would go? Any place you know of where he might hide?"

"We all put our heads together," Roxas spoke glumly. "But nothing stood out from what we could remember. None of us could really see him going back to the World that Never Was, especially now that Riku and Sora have busted out of there."

"From what he said," Sora added, "It seems they're looking for me just as much as we're looking for them. If they're staying put in one place, I'd be very surprised. But that's also why we're here." The others looked at him and Sora realized that now was probably the time for him to recount what happened, but his chest began to feel tight and he felt like he just couldn't do it. "They mentioned using my heart to hurt others. They want it badly. They've threatened Riku. They only let me rescue Kairi so they could trap me..."

Riku looked down and noticed Sora clutching the fabric of his pants of his knees and could even hear his breathing becoming more shallow and wondered if he should stop him.

"I wasn't supposed to..." Sora grimaced and clutched his head. He could hear a voice ringing in the back of his mind. _Youwillvanishfromthisworld._ He shook his head roughly and tried to speak again. "Xigbar mentioned Roxas. The guy with the keyblade kept talking about my heart's connections." He started sweating and looked to Ventus, Roxas, and Xion, "If you three are already sensing what's going with my heart, you could be targets." He then looked to Naminé, "And you especially, Naminé. If he wants my heart's connections and he can't reach them, he might come for you next. I don't want any of you getting hurt."

"I say we let him come!" Ven spoke up, much to Aqua and Terra's surprise.

"I agree!" Roxas spoke up.

"Wait! What are you getting at!?" Axel asked.

"Sora's heart is safe as long as he has Riku!" Xion explained.

"That's right. We know he has the key! So if he wants to come for us, I say we trap him!" Ven explained.

"Wait, what!?" Riku spoke up. "How do you three know?"

"Duh! I gave it to you, remember? When you dove into Sora's heart to save him!" Ventus reminded him. "You defeated the armor I used to protect Sora. So who better to entrust it with?"

"Huuuuuh?" Sora groaned in disbelief as he covered his face with his hands. "How is that your decision to make, Ven?"

"It wasn't just mine!" Ven insisted.

"Roxas and Xion too?" Sora gasped.

Riku looked over at Roxas to see he already turned his head to avoid eye contact with him.

Ven spoke up again, "Hey, it worked out, right? Besides, it was kind of already--"

"OKAAAAY!" Sora quickly stood up, startling everybody. "I need some air! Please excuse me!" he waved before quickly opening the door and exiting the study.

The rather abrupt exit startled all of them for a few moments before Riku snapped out of his shock and followed after him. "Sora, wait!"

The room was awkwardly quiet for a about a minute before Aqua finally broke the silence, "Master, perhaps we should adjourn and have dinner for now?"

"I think that would be wise, Master Aqua. Let us continue this discussion in the morning. Are we agreed?"

Everybody in the room nodded and filed out as they were dismissed to go and check on dinner. Needless to say they were all worried about Sora, but they decided it was best to let Riku tend to him as they prepared to bring the food out to the dining room.

Meanwhile, outside, Sora had simply found a window to jump from and flowmotioned to the front stoop where he now sat and clutched his head while he watched the fireflies lazily drift through the air amongst the dewy grass before him. He breathed hard as he tried to calm himself, the voices from his forgotten memories fading in and out of focus. "It doesn't matter anymore. I'm here. That's all that matters."

Riku caught up to him, but unlike Sora he actually used the door and came out quietly so as not to startle him. "Sora?"

Sora couldn't even hear Riku as he stared at his hands, tears streaming down his face as bits and pieces of his memories taunted him. Part of him was missing and he was almost certain it was never going to come back, something important. He could live without it, he was almost sure. But would it keep him from being a keyblade master? Would it keep him from staying with Riku? He felt his chest get tighter and tighter but then a hand on his shoulder startled him out of his spiraling thoughts. "RIKU!" he gasped. "I-I'm sorry I stormed out like that. I just--"

"Hey, don't apologize," Riku interrupted and sat beside him. "You have nothing to be sorry for. You were so brave in there. I know you did your best."

"It's never good enough," Sora wept as he hastily wiped the tears from his eyes. "I've made so many mistakes. Some I can never take back!"

"Hey hey, shhh...it's alright..." Riku pulled him close into a warm embrace and let Sora cry it out. "It's okay. You're here with us. We all make mistakes. I know that better than anyone."

"I guess that's true," Sora sniffled. "Do you ever wish you could take them back?"

"I've thought about it," Riku admitted. "But those mistakes have helped me grow as a person and I have a feeling if I hadn't had made them, I wouldn't be here right now...with you...like this."

Sora's eyes widened as he realized the similarities between their experiences and yet on different sides of a very strange spectrum. In the end, both ends justify the means...the very, very painful means. With a deep sigh he pulled away and grabbed his handkerchief to wipe his eyes properly. "You're right. I just gotta look forward. No use crying over it."

"Hey, it's okay to cry," Riku playfully bumped Sora's wet cheek with his fist. "What matters is that you get back up when you fall."

"Right," Sora giggled wetly and dabbed at his eyes again. He looked up at Riku fondly and genuinely smiled when a firefly landed on a tall strand of Riku's hair. "Maybe we should go inside. I'm starving."

"Right, let's not keep everybody waiting," Riku stood and offered his hand to help Sora up.

Sora accepted it and pressed a chaste kiss to Riku's lips. "I love you so much."

"I love you, too."


	31. Absolve, Resolve

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sora finally confesses the truth that's been haunting him.

Everybody had a very enjoyable dinner together. There wasn't an empty spot at the very long dining table and everybody stuffed themselves silly with the mild curry with pork tenderloin and rice. Ven, Terra, and Aqua shared some of their fun stories of picking up their lives after being reunited after so long. The Twilight gang talked about school and Isa and Lea shared hilarious stories of how cramped it was living in one small apartment before they finally moved to the mansion. Donald and Goofy were off having their own misadventures this entire time, but Donald wouldn't dare say how often they got lost without Sora at the helm. Kairi was clearly very enthusiastic about her research at the lab but kept most of the talk at a minimum. Listening to all of them talk, Sora could tell they were keeping the conversation very light-hearted for his sake, and he appreciated the effort very much. When it came time to serve Ven's pie, it was actually superb. After dinner, Ven even pulled Sora aside and gave him an extra slice that he had all wrapped up for him.

They all agreed to continue the meeting and decide upon their next plan of action in the morning after breakfast. So with that in mind, the rest of the evening was theirs. Sora and Riku volunteered to help with the dishes and clean-up since they weren't around to help with the cooking and Donald and Goofy decided they should help too. So back in the kitchen, Sora was elbows deep in soap while fighting with the sponge over how the dishes should be washed and the dishes themselves were putting up a fight, especially the little tea saucers and small spoons. "You know, at Beast's Castle, the plates and cups were a little more polite!" Sora scolded as a spoon tossed some soapy water at his face.

Riku was drying and putting away the dishes and they seemed to behave much better for him, much to Sora's dismay. "Dese were a gift from Merlin!" Donald explained as he watched Sora struggle.

"That explains a lot," Sora grumbled. "I'm glad the trash can doesn't act this way."

"Trash can?" Goofy asked.

"Never mind," Sora continued to grumble in frustration as a slippery glass escaped his grip. "LOOK, IF YOU DON'T BEHAVE, I'M GOING TO DRY YOU ALL OFF WITH FIRAGA!!" The dishes all quivered before stilling at long last and finally allowed Sora to clean them properly. "That's more like it!"

Goofy chuckled nervously at seeing Sora get so riled up, "Gosh, Sora. They're only dishes!"

"Whose bright idea was it to make dishes sentient anyway? I don't want to think about whether or not the plate can feel it if I poke it too hard with a fork or knife!"

"Don't overthink it, Sora!" Donald chuckled.

"Urghhhhhhhhhh..." Sora groaned and rinsed off the last few forks before handing them off to Riku who has been silently observing this temper tantrum with mild amusement this entire time.

"So what do you want to do after this?" the older teen asked as he dried the last of the forks and scooched them into their correct slot in the drawer.

"Probably turn in for the night, I dunno." At hearing this, Donald and Goofy deflated with slight disappointment which Sora caught onto easily. "Sorry, guys. I'm just really tired."

"We understand!" Goofy spoke up before Donald could open his beak. "Besides, there's always tomorrow."

"Right!" Sora smiled gratefully. After they finished cleaning up, the four said good night before parting ways. Donald and Goofy were on the same floor as Terra and the others so they separated at the stairs. As soon as they were out of sight, Sora leaned heavily on Riku as they walked back to Sora's room. "Did you want to hang out with the others?" he asked in a small voice.

"I'm sure we're not missing much," Riku assured him as he closed the door behind them and helped walk Sora to his bed. "I think they're all tired too. Like Goofy said; we'll have more time to hang out in the morning."

"Mm-hmm," Sora hummed as he kicked off his shoes and undressed. Riku meanwhile dug through their shared bag and pulled out both sets of their sleeping clothes for them. The action reminded the brunette that they were sleeping separately tonight and felt a strange anxiety begin to build up. He glanced at the bed he was sitting on and frowned even further at how narrow it was. He turned back to look at Riku and saw him staring at the bed as well, as if he was thinking the same thing he was.

Riku caught Sora looking at him and his expression turned to a lighter one as he handed Sora his clothes. "It's only for one night," he reminded him and gave him a sweet kiss on the cheek. "Would you like me to stay with you until you fall asleep?"

Sora forced a smile as he tugged on the clothes and set his gummi phone and accessories on the night stand. "I'll be okay. But you'll come if I call, right?"

"Of course," Riku assured him as he ran a hand through Sora's hair and pulled him in for another kiss. "Do you need me to tuck you in?"

"And read me a bedtime story?" Sora joked as he rolled into the bed and pulled the covers over himself. "Nah, I'm fine. Good night, Riku."

The silverette chuckled and stole one more kiss from Sora before he left, "Good night, Sora."

After Riku closed the door behind him, he went straight to his own room, thankfully avoiding anybody else so that he didn't have to make any awkward small talk. It seemed just as he closed his own door, everybody else came back at once as he heard many footsteps coming down the stairs and making their way past his door to go to their own rooms. As he put on a pair of gray sweatpants to sleep in, he could hear the girls chattering away quietly for a few minutes but all he heard from Ventus and Roxas was them exchanging good nights before going to their own rooms. By the time he brushed his teeth and checked his phone and put aside his clothes for the next day, everything was finally quiet. But even as Riku's head hit the pillow, he felt like he couldn't relax.

He's stayed in one of these rooms before. They're usually all the same. Wooden furniture with crazy curves, a shelf full of books, a small vanity, small bathroom attached with its own shower/bathtub, and somehow each room always had a window even though there weren't that many windows that could actually be seen on the outside of the tower. In this castle of illusion, it was hard to not feel slightly unsettled every now and then as every other little thing that should be mundane could end up making you doubt your own sanity. For instance, it was almost as if the room could sense Riku was having a hard time falling asleep and so it grew darker and formed little glowing pinpricks on the ceiling to imitate the stars outside. Riku blinked twice as he noticed it happening but once it took shape, he did find it rather calming and wondered if he should thank the room? "Uh...thanks?" he said out loud, just in case.

"Wonder if Sora's going to be okay?" he muttered to himself as he pulled the quilted bedspread up to his chest. "After a couple of months of always being together...it feels weird not having him here." The keyblade master sighed and groaned into his hands. "It's fine. He's fine. If anything's wrong, I'll know immediately. I always do," he assured himself and gave a firm mental nod before rolling onto his side toward the window. "At least this time I won't have to fight for the blankets," he smirked before closing his eyes and letting himself drift off to sleep.

As Riku slept, he dreamed he was in a wide open field of grass. The sky was full of twinkling stars and he was surrounded by hundreds, if not thousands, of fireflies. As they flew, they left trails of light in their wake as if everything was moving in slow motion. He sighed deeply and found the air smelled sweet, but sour too, like lemon. As he held a hand out, a firefly made its way into his palm and he cupped it gently to admire its glow. "So bright..." he whispered in awe and the little insect's light seemed to glow brighter in kind before taking off and leaving his hand. He watched it fly away until he lost sight of it amongst the others and turned his attention back toward the sky. "It's funny...as much as I've looked at stars, I don't think I could name very many constellations even if I've tried," he mused. "Maybe as a kid I could. Not so much anymore." Suddenly he felt something crawl on his fingertip and he brought it up to eye level to see another firefly has graced him with its presence, at which he smiled. "I wonder if he'd like this dream?"

Sora fell asleep quickly enough, all things considered. He doesn't even remember turning off the bedside lamp or Riku closing the door. Sleep mercifully took him and wrapped him a blanket of unfeeling blackness. But even if his slumber started uneventfully, it wasn't long before he found himself in a rather familiar dreamscape, a land made of sea and sky. He almost began to panic but then remembered, ""One can't help the occasional crossover." they said...Hmm...Oh yeah! HEY, CHIRITHY!" he shouted. "I'm here to visit!"

He looked around for any sign of the striped cat looking thing with the cape and pink pouch, but didn't see a sign of them anywhere. "Hm, I wonder why they're not here?"

_Break a taboo of nature, and you'll end up paying an extraordinary price._

"What?" Sora spun around as Chirithy's voice echoed all around him. "Hey! What gives?"

_You yourself...will vanish from this world._

The bright cloudy sky began turning black, the white fluffy clouds swirling to form a black void above him while the water below him turned as dark and thick as tar. Deciding not to stick around and ask questions, he attempted to make a run for it, but even as he sprinted with all his might, the darkness followed him and the tar tainted the entire ground where it finally stuck to his feet and held him firmly.

"WAIT!" he cried out as he tried to wrench his own feet out of the black muck. "What is this!?"

_I can't be sure what's waiting for you at the end..._

The darkness continued to snake up his legs and envelop him with its sticky tendrils. The more he struggled, the tighter its grip became as it pulled him down into its depths.

_...by following the connection of hearts, you'll come to discover a greater truth..._

"NO! STOP!" he cried as he sank up to his knees and fell forward, landing on his hands which began to sank as well. "NOT YET!" he screamed as pain started to build up in his body, starting with his legs and up his back and even up to his head where it felt like his skull was being ripped open. He couldn't breathe. He couldn't move. It was already up to his eyeballs.

_May your heart...be your guiding key._

"AAAAAAAAAAAUUUUUUUUGHHHHHH!!!!"

Riku shot up out of his bed and nearly tripped over himself in an effort to get upright. He could've sworn he heard a scream but he was too dazed to be sure. Regardless, he swung his door open to hurry and check on Sora, only to freeze in his tracks as he saw several of the others were awake too. Roxas, Xion, and Ventus were all standing in their doorways and looking towards Sora's door. "What's--"

"AAAAAAAAAAAAUUUUUUUUUUUUGHHHHHH!!!"

Roxas glared at Riku, "What are you waiting for? Get in there!"

"Right!" Riku sprinted for the door and slammed it open with such force that it slammed closed again behind him. Unfortunately, the noise wasn't enough to wake Sora who was dripping with cold sweat and clawing at the sheets he was tangled in. As he moaned and writhed, it became apparent that he had clawed at himself too, as half his bandages have been torn off and he'd scratched himself, leaving small wounds that leaked black fluid onto the bedsheets. "SORA!" Riku called out for him, grabbing him by the shoulders to pin him down and keep him from hurting himself any further. "Sora! It's me! Wake up!"

Sora fought hard against the nightmare, even though it hurt terribly. As he struggled, he could hear Chirithy's words of warning taunting him in his ears and the more he fought, the more he could hear the voices of the others who mocked him with their "warnings" on top of it all. But then Riku's voice pierced through the din and the light came back. He could open his eyes again! "R-Riku!" he sobbed hoarsely as soon as the silver-haired figure above him came into focus.

"Sora...are you--"

The brunette sprang up to throw his arms around his savior, his breathing shallow and his heart beating at a million beats per minute, "It hurts...it hurts so much!"

They keyblade master pulled him out of the sheets and into his lap to hold him tightly against his bare chest, cradling his head in his hand while the other arm stayed firmly around his thin waist. "I'm here, Sora. It's going to be okay. It's over now. You just had a nightmare," he whispered soothingly while he gently rocked him.

Eventually, Sora's cries died down to occasional whimpers and he started becoming coherent again. "Please stay with me," he pleaded into Riku's chest.

"I'm not leaving you, I promise," Riku whispered and kissed his sweaty brow before gently untangling Sora's limbs from himself. "Let's get you cleaned up, okay?"

Sora finally looked down to see the mess he had made and the cuts he had all over himself, his eyes widening in horror to find his skin and the sheets streaked with black. "D-did I do this?"

"It's okay. They're just scratches. No big deal, right?" the silverette reassured him and lifted the smaller teen to set him a chair while he summoned Braveheart to cast a curaga spell on him. The shallow scratches healed quickly, but the black stuff needed to be taken care of. So as soon as he ripped the sheets off the bed, he fed them to trash can and basically said good luck to the small cannister before carrying Sora to the bathroom and getting him into a bath and new bandages. The entire time, Sora felt as limp as a very heavy noodle and could barely move a muscle. His usually bright blue eyes appeared dull and he barely responded whenever Riku asked him a question. "Come on, Sora. You gotta work with me here. Does it still hurt like it did when I woke you up?"

"No..." Sora responded quietly, barely leaning side to side so Riku could scrub the tainted blood off his chest and back. He was barely aware of anything going on, his mind racing but also filled with nothing at the same time. He felt like the only things keeping him grounded on this plane of reality were Riku's voice and the gentle grazes of his hands as they moved and caressed his body in an effort to rid him of the stuff that plagued his skin.

Deciding Sora must still be in shock, Riku made quick work of getting him out of the tub and rebandaged before carrying his otherwise nude form back to the bed. Said mattress had refitted itself with fresh sheets in anticipation of their return and much to Riku's surprise, the small trash can had managed to devour the discarded ones. "Good job," he smirked at the trash can which clapped its lid open and closed in response. After he set Sora down, he realized the bed had gotten wider and he raised an eyebrow. "Wait, you couldn't have done this SOONER?" he growled angrily and the bed frame bent as if to shrug in response.

"Riku..." Sora whimpered and Riku quickly answered his call by sliding in next to him and covering them both with the fresh bedspread before holding him close. The brunette felt sleep threatening to take him again and he felt scared but now with Riku so close by, he felt just barely brave enough to slip into unconsciousness once more.

As Sora drifted off, Riku kept watch for what he felt must've been hours. In the dark, he kept watch over every breath, every fluttering of Sora's eyelids, every sound for any signs of discomfort. He kept the dream eater link as wide open as it had ever been but Sora now appeared to be in a dreamless sleep. Even so, Riku stayed awake, poised like a cat ready for its prey to come out of hiding. But it never did. He had only managed to get a couple of hours of sleep before he heard feet scurrying in the ceiling signaling that everybody was awake and heading toward the kitchen to make breakfast. As he regrettably stirred from his sleep, he squinted to check on Sora who seemed to have more color in his face than last night and was still sleeping soundly. He hated the idea of waking him, but they had a meeting after breakfast so he might as well.

The keyblade master at least tried to gently wake him up with soft kisses to the brunette's forehead, then his cheeks and then the tip of his nose before whispering his name. When he finally stirred, he only tightened his grip on Riku and buried his face further into his chest to avoid the sweet kisses, earning a small laugh from the elder teen. "Come on, we have to get up. Everybody's on their way to breakfast."

"Not hungry," Sora grumbled weakly. "Please stay...just a few more minutes?"

"Okay...but we can't miss this meeting. Think you're up for it?"

Sora nodded into his chest, "Yeah, I'll be okay."

"Good. I'm glad," Riku sighed with relief as he buried his nose into Sora's hair. Truth be told, he could use a few extra minutes of sleep too.

Needless to say, everybody was a little worried when Sora and Riku didn't show up for breakfast or even afterwards. In fact, they were already gathered in Yen Sid's study by the time they emerged from the bedroom. When they arrived, everybody could tell just by looking at Sora's face that he wasn't well and judging by the lines under Riku's eyes, he wasn't faring much better, sleep-wise. They all waited quietly while Riku helped Sora lower himself into the chair that was still there from the last meeting and then finally Master Yen Sid cleared his throat to gather everybody's attention so they could start.

"Good morning, everyone. I'm sorry to see that not all of you have gotten a good night's rest. But nevertheless, we must carry on," the wise wizard began. "To pick up where we left off..."

Everybody turned their gaze toward Sora who could feel their stares all over his body as he glanced to the side to avoid making eye contact with any of them. "We were talking about what the Master of Masters wants..." he finally said.

"That's correct. From there, we must decide our next move," Master Yen Sid nodded.

Sora took in a long breath, "He wants to weaponize my heart. I'm sure of it." He waited for the questions, maybe even shouts of surprise, but they didn't come. So after a few awkward seconds he looked up, "What?"

"What does that mean, exactly?" Ven asked.

"It means he wants to use my heart's connections to hurt people. I don't know why or what the end game is, but he's dead set on taking it from me," Sora elaborated, though it pained him to say the words.

"That can't be right, can it, Master?" Aqua asked. "Can a heart really be used to hurt others?"

"A single heart can hold untold potential. There's no telling what it's capable of when it's connected with many others. Xemnas knew of their potential when he harvest them in an attempt to create his own Kingdom Hearts. And knowing how many people's hearts Sora has touched..." Master Yen Sid spoke gravely.

"I've already seen enough evidence to know that there's something to it. All the worlds Riku and I have visited, the people we've reconnected with, they all said they felt something," Sora lifted his head. "There's a lot I don't remember, but what I do know is that I wasn't meant to be here, yet here I am. Even if everybody felt my hurt, not one person has regretted knowing me. Instead, everybody has risen to help and support me. As scary as it is, to think about what he could do if he gets a hold of my heart, I also know that my heart can be used to destroy him and stop this cycle of pain forever. But I can't do it alone. I need everybody's help."

Terra crossed his arms and nodded in agreement, "Then I think that settles it. I agree with Ven. We'll take Roxas, Naminé, and Xion to the Land of Departure and train them up so they're ready for when the time is right. They'll be safe with us until we all decide is the time to strike." Though a little taken by surprise, Aqua nodded in approval.

"Hm," Axel raised a hand, "In that case, then Isa and I will continue to hold down the fort in Twilight Town."

Kairi spoke up next, "And I'll be staying in Radiant Garden. Ansem the Wise has a theory about this guy utilizing the datascape. I'll be assisting the lab with other things and keep everybody posted."

"A-hyuck, and Donald and I will stay with the King!" Goofy saluted.

"And Sora and I will continue making our way through the different worlds for any sign of them. Hopefully we'll have more clues soon," Riku concluded.

"It seems we have a plan for the time being," Master Yen Sid nodded.

"But there's one thing I don't understand, Sora," Aqua smiled over at him. "What did you mean by what you said? About how you were not meant to be here?"

Sora blinked at the question and the fact that she was smiling at him kind of threw him off. Did she think he needed a pep talk or something? He looked at the others. _Do they...not get it?_ He smiled sadly and wondered if it was even worth telling them what he knew after all. He then looked up at Riku's concerned face and dropped the smile. That's right...he promised he wouldn't hide anything anymore. "When I rescued Kairi...I wasn't..." he felt his hands shake and clenched them tightly in his lap. "I wasn't meant to come back with her."

"WHAT?!" the entire room shouted in disbelief. Sora flinched at their collective gasps and could swear he could feel Riku's heart leap in his OWN chest.

"Wait! Let me explain!"

"YOU WERE GONNA LEAVE US?" Donald squawked. "After you said you'd be back!?"

"I didn't know I was going to--"

"Why, Sora?" Kairi cried.

"YOU ALL BELIEVED IN ME!" Sora shouted as he curled up into a ball and covered his head with his hands. "I COULDN'T LET YOU ALL DIE! Especially not you, Kairi!"

"Sora!" Mickey gasped. "Does this mean you..."

"Yes," Sora looked up, his eyes swollen red with tears. "Eight times."

"Sora!" the old wizard gasped. "What you've done...the sacrifice you have made!"

"I KNOW!" Sora spat back angrily as he fisted the tears from his eyes. "But I'd do it all again! I think the only reason I'm still here is to make up for what I've done! To stop him before he hurts anybody else! Otherwise...I would've faded away by now. I don't see any other reason." He sniffed loudly as he tried to keep himself from shaking.

"So the reason the lich were chasing us for so long...is because they were coming for you? They weren't sent after you by Xigbar?" Kairi asked.

Sora nodded. "The lich aren't like other heartless. I was supposed to fade away after I got you back home and I think they wanted to catch me before that happened. But Xigbar and that Master guy piggy-backed on their efforts until I was worn down enough so they could capture me themselves. The only reason I'm still here is because they somehow kept me from fading away just so they could grab my heart. But as we all know," he smiled at Riku, "They didn't get that far." He looked at all their crestfallen faces. Even Master Yen Sid wasn't without emotion. "But guys, I'm not telling you all of this to make you sad. I'm telling you this because for obvious reasons, my strength may never be 100% again and I'm all out of "get out of jail free" cards," he chuckled awkwardly. "So now more than ever, I need the strength of my friends. We all need to work together!"


	32. With All the Strength of a Raging Fire, Mysterious as the Dark Side of the Moon

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> With the promise to see each other again really soon, everybody goes their separate ways. The boys make their way to the Land of Dragons to check on its inhabitants with the moon strung high in the air and the ever-looming threat of darkness nearby.

"So you came all this way to ask me to give a live performance and this is the only song you want me to play?"

"That's right."

"What's in it for me? I've been through enough trouble with you guys!"

"Haven't you ever wanted an audience?"

"Well, I guess playing for an audience WOULD be nice. But when do I get to play my own songs?"

"Do this for me, and I'll listen to whatever songs you want."

"ALL RIGHT! Count me in! So what's the venue?"

"Oh, that's the best part."

* ~ * ~ * ~ *

With a plan set in motion and their roles agreed upon, the meeting in Master Yen Sid's study was adjourned, but nobody was quick to leave the room first. There was an unsettling tension in the air, something Sora couldn't quite name. But when Riku held out his hand to help him out of the chair, Sora accepted and he was pulled to his feet. He gave everybody a glance, wondering if he should be the one to say something. But Master Yen Sid stood from his seat next and walked over to Sora. The brunette looked up at the towering wizard, expecting a few farewell words of wisdom or maybe a warning but he instead he found his normally shocking gaze to be half-lidded, mournful even, which Sora could only smile weakly at and tilt his head ever so slightly while the Master stared at him, as if for once at a loss for words. "Master?"

What he certainly didn't expect was for the master to reach out and put a hand on top of Sora's head, in a fatherly gesture. Sora nearly felt himself buckle beneath the weighty hand and tears almost immediately sprang to his eyes as he felt the warmth radiating from the gesture. "I'm sorry, Sora," was all that the Master said before removing his hand and allowing the brunette to look up at him once more. It was his turn to be speechless and he looked around to see nearly everybody else's eyes were glistening with tears. "Guys...don't cry...please..." he begged.

Kairi failed to hold back a sob, despite his plea and ran over to Sora first to hug him tightly. Riku hugged the both of them. Then came Donald and Goofy. Then came Xion and Naminé, and then Roxas and Ventus. One by one they all formed a massive hug ball around Sora, save for Isa who just put a hand on Lea's shoulder to steady the man as he was already threatening to cry. King Mickey had even gotten lost in there somewhere. With every layer, their cries of sadness eventually turn to giggles, and then tearful cries of mirth as underneath the hug pile, Sora starts laughing as he nearly feels overwhelmed by the love (and weight) of his friends.

As they all broke down into laughter together, Sora's heart felt so full and so warm he thought he would burst. "You guys are the best."

. . . .

When the meeting officially adjourned and the hug pile ended, Sora and Riku headed back to their room to grab their stuff. The others were not too far behind and there was definitely a change in atmosphere throughout the castle. Everybody was determined and full of purpose, but also the air felt clearer somehow. Now that Sora finally told them the truth, he felt slightly less burdened. At first he felt guilty for telling all of them because the last thing he wanted was for them to feel sad, but they seemed relieved too. It's just as they said, they wanted to help him with some of his hurt and when he finally let it go, there were tears, but they were happy too. He definitely felt his bond with all of them get even stronger and his heart felt so full and his body so light, he felt he could take on anything. There was even a little more energy in his step despite the bad night's sleep as he made his way down the stairs and to the bedroom.

Meanwhile, Riku was following just a couple of steps behind Sora and felt his heart begin to race as they entered Sora's room. Just staring at Sora's back made him feel light-headed and his vision felt blurry as all he could focus on was Sora. _He told me what he had done...but not the price._ He found it harder and harder to breathe and clutched his shirt over his heart. _So if it weren't for that scumbag grabbing Sora...he would have disappeared? That's not right...it can't be right!_ He looked up and walked towards Sora with a hand stretched out.

Sora stopped in his tracks as he felt a tugging on his own heart. He closed his eyes and put a hand over it as he felt Riku behind him. "Riku..." he whispered just as he felt the other's strong arms wrap around him and hold him tightly against his chest. He felt Riku bury his nose in his hair, his hands tremble as they clutched themselves around his waist. He could hear his shuddery hot breath on his scalp and his heart pounding against his back, as close as it could possibly be to his own heart. Sora felt his own heart cry out and he twisted around in Riku's grip to gently clutch Riku's face in both his hands. "Riku..."

The silverette turned his gaze to look away to hide the tears that were threatening to fall. He couldn't let Sora see how afraid he was. He had to be strong. But Sora's soft voice managed to get through the pounding he felt in his ears and forced him to look at him once more, his eyes were also glistening with unshed tears but he also had a smile on his face. _How can he still be smiling?_ "It's not fair..." he whispered as he leaned down and pressed his forehead to Sora's and closed his eyes, taking comfort in the feel of the other's warm breath against his face as he held him so close that Sora was forced to stand on his toes.

"I promise, Riku...I'm not going anywhere," Sora whispered back and lowered himself back down to reach for Riku's left wrist. He felt the other instinctively flinch but he didn't pull away and he pulled it to his lips to kiss his knuckles apologetically before reaching into his pocket with his other hand to pull out the bracelet he had woven.

"Sora, what's...?"

"It's a promise...No...it's more than that," Sora smiled down at Riku's hand as he carefully tied the bracelet around Riku's left wrist over his gauntlet.

Riku squinted through his tears to look at the bracelet, the pretty white stone charm glinting a pearlescent color despite the dim lighting of the room. As he released Sora to run his fingers over the intricate braid, he recognized the pattern and chuckled, "You made this yourself?"

"Do you like it?" Sora beamed.

"I love it," Riku's face finally broke into a grin and he scooped up Sora in both arms to lift him up and give him a long, adoring kiss.

Sora could only giggle happily into the kiss as he wrapped his arms around Riku's neck and lost himself in the feeling of Riku's soft lips, their hearts pounding together as one as the intensity picked up with each passing second, the contact only breaking when Sora pulled away to cup Riku's face in his hands to say, "I love you."

"Sora..."

"Riku..."

"You are..."

The brunette felt his face heat up as he heard the words from Riku's heart before he even had a chance to say it...and his own heart was screaming the same thing back.

Together, they said:

"My light."

And as they leaned in together for another kiss, Riku whispered against Sora's lips.

"My everything."

. - . - . - . - . - . - . - . - .

By the time they were all packed, everybody was already gathered outside to say their good-byes. All of them refused to leave without first seeing Sora off. So of course both teens were in for another round of hugs with one especially bone-crushing hug from Kairi, of course. "Riku," she said, "Bring Sora by Radiant Garden soon."

Riku blinked but then seemed to realize something which had Sora scratching his head, but before the brunette could even ask, the keyblade master nodded, "Of course. We'll see you soon."

"Soon? How soon is soon?" Sora asked.

"Don't worry about it. Get your butt on the ship already!" Riku scolded as he playfully shoved him towards the ship.

"HEY! Okay okay! Good-bye, everybody!" Sora waved from the cockpit and everybody shouted and waved farewell as they took off.

As the Mysterious Tower disappeared behind them, Sora let out a sigh of relief as he sunk into his seat. "I'm happy I got to see all of them," he said, mostly to himself but Riku hummed as he agreed with him.

"I know they were happy to see you too. It was very brave of you to tell everybody what happened."

Sora glanced over at Riku and reached for his right hand. "You know I wasn't keeping that from you, right? I genuinely didn't remember that last part until last night."

Riku reached out to hold his hand and looked over at him while he brought Sora's hand to kiss his knuckles. "I know."

Sora smiled softly and got up to sit in Riku's lap while he continued to drive the ship. By now this had become second-nature to Riku and he adjusted his legs so Sora could sit comfortably while he rested his chin on top of Sora's head. The brunette was all smiles as he leaned back into Riku's chest. He wouldn't admit it in a million years, but he's starting to see how being shorter has its perks. "So where are we going next?"

"I thought we'd go to the Land of Dragons," Riku explained as he pointed a the map readout on the navigation screen. "Remember what I said about the cloud of darkness? I want to make sure they're okay."

"Hm...I was wonder if we'd get a chance to see Mulan and the others. But now that I think about it, I don't even know where Mulan actually lives," Sora pondered.

"Do you know if she lives in the Imperial City?"

Sora shook his head. "I kind of doubt it. She didn't seem the type. But she had her own horse, so maybe she actually lives on a farm."

"That could be. But there are many, many farms. So we may not see her."

"That's okay," Sora conceded. "If we're meant to see her, we will. We need to focus on the matter at hand."

Riku nodded, "You're right."

After a few minutes of silence, Sora's stomach started to growl angrily. That's when he remembered they skipped breakfast to sleep in. He also remembered the extra slice of pie Ventus gave him and dug in his pocket to pull out the perfectly plated and wrapped pastry, much to Riku's amazement.

"Did you really just pull a slice of Ven's pie out of your pocket?"

"Yup!" Sora grinned as he unwrapped it and pulled out a fork next to cut himself a bite. But then he looked up at Riku and offered him the bite. "Want some?"

"Sure," Riku bent his head down and let Sora feed him the bite of the tart pie. He wasn't all that hungry, so one bite was more than enough for him and he made no fuss as Sora continued to chow down in his lap.

Said teen finished the slice in no time at all before licking the plate clean and stuffing everything back into his pockets. "Who knew Ven could bake?"

"I think he had a lot of help, but still, it was pretty good," Riku admitted.

It was still a couple of hours before they reached their destination. In that time, Sora offered to go to the small kitchen in the lower cabin to make Riku something to eat, which the silverette gladly accepted. So one pair of sammiches and a nap in Riku's lap later, they finally arrived. Sora stirred awake without even having to be woken up by Riku as he felt a chill before they even prepared to land.

Riku kissed the top of Sora's head as he felt him stir before he leaned forward to check the world readout screen. "It says it's night time down there already. So it might be cold."

Sora yawned cutely and rubbed the sleep out of his eyes as he stood up. "Well, what's a little cold, right?" he asked.

"Not so fast. I got something for this," Riku said as he stood up and stretched, giving his spine a satisfying pop before heading down to the lower cabin. When he came back, he tossed a long-sleeved black thermal shirt at Sora while having a white one for himself.

"Oh wow, thanks!" Sora caught the garment and held it out in front of him as he looked it over. It looked just like the shirt he was already wearing underneath his jacket, just with sleeves. He looked over to see Riku already changing into his and wolf-whistled cheekily.

Riku blushed and tossed his muscle tee at Sora. "Hurry up and get dressed, you goof!"

The brunette stuck his tongue out playfully and hurried to get out of his jacket, harness, and shirt so he could put it on. "I think you're just using this as an excuse to get me topless."

Riku glanced over as he pulled his jacket. "Since when have I needed an excuse?"

Sora blushed, "Okay...now that's just--!"

Riku snerked but then stopped when Sora pulled the shirt down over his head and adjusted it properly. The tight material really accentuated all of the muscle Sora had worked so hard to get back.

Getting the harness off was easy, but putting it back on was still a little weird for Sora, who looked over to Riku for assistance and caught him staring, to which he smirked, "You wanna help me with this?"

"Huh? Oh, right," Riku sputtered and hurried over to help him, earning a giggle from the brunette as he fumbled with it.

Once the pair were properly suited up, they warped down to the mountaintops overlooking the battlefield where the Hun army fought General Li's battalion and not too much further away, he fought and lost against Captain Shang's own troops. Standing ankle deep in the snow overlooking the devastation that still being tended to even after all these months later, Sora pulled his coat closer around himself as he felt a chill that didn't come from the cold. Most of it had been buried with snow, but many weapons and flags stood out of the snow where their wielders have fallen. Just as Riku had described, Sora could feel a thick cloud of darkness hovering nearby that still doesn't seem to be reaching towards the city or the surrounding homes just yet.

Riku glanced over at Sora and put a hand on his shoulder, gently pulling him out of his thoughts. "You okay?"

Sora nodded and shook himself a little, "Yeah, just...I was thinking of the keyblade graveyard. Even while we were there, it hadn't really sunk in how many lives must have been lost for there to be that many keys. Even when I was here with Mulan and the others, I don't think I realized the full scope of the situation for them either."

"Don't beat yourself up over it," Riku advised as he turned and started making his way down the mountain path. "Sometimes the mind uses tunnel vision in order to cope."

"To cope?" Sora asked as he followed. "I guess that makes sense. I haven't really thought of it that way before. Has it happened to you, too?"

The keyblade master stopped so Sora could catch up and gently clasped the other's trembling hand in his warm one. "Yeah, a couple of times."

Eventually they made their way down to the mountainside village and found a warp point they could use to make their way to the Imperial City. Since it was the middle of the night, there weren't many lights on in the houses and the ones that were only had a few dimly lit candles in the windows. To Riku it was a calm sort of quiet with nothing but the sounds of crickets in his ears. Down here it was much warmer than it was on the mountain but the occasional stiff breeze made him glad he suggested the warmer shirts. They kept their noise to a minimum as they walked so as not to arouse any suspicion should anybody see them wandering the streets in the dead of night and as they looked around, Riku was relieved that the stench of darkness that was prevalant on the mountain tops still doesn't seem to have penetrated the city limits. He looked to Sora, a little surprised that the brunette had been so quiet for this long, only to see he wasn't as calm as he was. Even though very few houses had lit windows, Sora's eyes were darting to almost every single house they passed.

Though the streets were empty, Sora could hear voices everywhere. At first they frightened him, but with each home they passed, he realized they were voices full of warmth and love. What he heard were the voices of many men, comforting and encouraging their loved ones, telling them how proud they were, how they were cheering them on, how they know they'll be just fine, to not cry for them. He was so entranced by all of them, it took a few steps before he realized Riku had stopped walking and was looking at him inquisitively.

"Sora, you're crying. Are you alright?"

"What?" Sora felt his cheeks and found they were wet. "Sorry..." he wiped the tears away with the back of his sleeve, embarrassed that he hadn't noticed them before Riku said anything.

Riku closed the distance between them to ask gently, "What's wrong?"

Sora looked up to see the concerned look on the keyblade master's face and realization struck him. Riku can't hear what he's hearing. "I don't know how to explain it, but...wait, look!" he whispered and pointed to one lit window where the silhouettes of a mother tucking her two children into bed could be seen. "Come here!" he tugged Riku along to the bushes so he could hear.

"Sora, what--"

"Shhh!" Sora shushed and motioned for Riku to listen intently.

"Please please! Tell us about the story of the great Mulan again!" the children begged their mother as their shadows bounced up and down in the candlelight.

Sora snickered quietly and he and Riku listened as their patient mother regaled them with the story of the brave Fa Mulan who used her cunning and wits to wipe out the entire Hun army and then rescued their beloved emperor. The kids ooh'ed and ah'ed at all the right times as their mother told them the story. But by the end, they sounded no more ready for bed than they were before she started.

"I'm going to be brave just like Mulan!"  
"Me too! Even without our father here, I'll always protect you the both of you!"

Riku looked to Sora who even in the dark he could see was grinning broadly and while the patient mother tried to coax them to go to sleep, Sora grabbed Riku's hand and led him down the alley. "Did you hear that?" Sora asked once they were in the clear.

"Yeah, it sounds like Mulan's made quite a name for herself," Riku answered as he allowed Sora to tug him along.

"I think I figured out what's keeping the darkness away!" Sora whispered excitedly. But as they neared the palace walls, they could clearly see some guards were out front and he froze and took a turn down a different alley, eventually leading them far enough to the outskirts of the city where there appeared to be a quarry filled with materials being used to rebuild the palace.

Riku had an idea that he knew what it was too, but he didn't dare squash Sora's enthusiasm, even as he dragged him all over the place to find a secluded spot. "Cool your jets, Sora," he whispered as they finally stopped and caught their breaths.

"I'm sorry," Sora chuckled. "But you see--"

"FOUND YOU!" a voice rang out from the dark.

"SORA!" Riku cried out and ran for the brunette who only just barely managed to dodge roll out of the way as purple lasers shot from the bamboo thicket and landed at his feet.

While Sora rolled away, he quickly bopped the golden heart on his chest to activate his armor which quickly encased his chest over his shirt to protect him. Now that he was safe, he ran to Riku's side and they guarded each other's backs. "COME OUT, XIGBAR!"

But instead of Xigbar, a cloaked figure appeared in front of Sora and grabbed him by throat as if he teleported out thin air. Before Riku could even turn around, he teleported high into the sky with Sora struggling against him. "Shhhh, people are sleeping," the figure taunted.

"SORA!!" Riku shouted and was about to go after him, but Xigbar showed up and shot at him to keep him back on the ground, blocking his ascent to Sora.

"DON'T FUCKING TOUCH ME!" Sora roared at his assailant and summoned a firaga spell right into the cloaked figure's face who was forced to drop him and sent the brunette falling from at least 6 stories high. As he came down, he spotted Xigbar within his range and summoned his keyblade to perform a smash drop attack, spiking him right in the back and plowing him into the ground, or at least he would have if Xigbar didn't teleport away before he became a pancake.

"OUCH!" called the smarmy voice from somewhere in the thicket. "You're not still mad about that little spat we had on the ice, are you?"

Now back to back again, Sora and Riku kept an eye out for the other assailant, but he was nowhere to be seen. "You okay?" Riku asked over his shoulder.

Sora's eyes darted everywhere as he caught his breath. "Yeah, but I don't see where he went!" he hissed as he switched his keychain to Oblivion.

"That armor looks soooo tacky on you. Did you steal it from a gladiator?" the Master of Masters taunted from a rooftop.

"Why, you mad?" Sora taunted right back as they both whipped their heads around to look at him. He couldn't help grinning as he saw how much he singed the hood of the other's coat. Despite this, they still couldn't make out his face, but to be honest Sora couldn't really care less about what he looked like.

"YES!" the Master stomped his foot with his fists clenched at his sides. "And to top it off, you said a swear!"

_Is this guy for real?_ both keybladers thought to themselves as they kept their guards up and tried to decide what to do next. Without even saying it out loud, they knew they were in a tough spot, what with the proximity to the village and the potential for others to get caught in the crossfire. Even if they did manage to keep their fight contained, they were in really tight quarters and Xigbar had a lot of cover to shoot at them from. 

"Cut the act!" Riku demanded. "What do you want with this world?"

"I--"

"SHHHHHHHHHHH!! Cut the chatter!" a voice scolded from the alley where an old man waved his cane at them. "People are trying to sleep!"

The Master of Masters put his hand over his chest as if affronted, "But you see I was just--"

"SHHHHHHHHH!!!" the old man hissed again, "Have you no respect for your elders?"

"HA!" Xigbar's voice rang from the thicket.

"Oi!" the cloaked figure's posture slackened in defeat. "Let's take this elsewhere." With a snap of his fingers, a portal of darkness opened at Sora and Riku's feet and swallowed them up before they could even react!

By the time Sora and Riku figured out what was happening, they found themselves deep in the bamboo forest in the midst of what appeared to be a destroyed temple. They kept their guard up as they looked all around them for any signs of the cloaked figures, holding their breaths to listen for any sound that might give them away.

"So as I was saying!" the Master of Masters appeared once again, this time from atop a very tall orange pole that remained standing amongst the debris. 

"We're experimenting with connections of the heart," Xigbar's voice rang from the void as he walked into the clearing from his own portal of darkness.

"MUST you steal my thunder?" the cloaked master sighed. "But yes. As you have seen here, everybody's hearts are connected by tragedy! It's quite different from the connections somebody like Sora forges, but can be just as powerful and much more destructive, even if they may not last as long."

Sora snarled at the Master while Riku glared daggers at Xigbar who only smirked in return, "Surely you saw the cloud of darkness on its way over here? Once it hits, these people will all be taken by despair and their hearts will be ours to control."

"HA!" Sora straightened up and dismissed his keyblade. "Get real."

The reaction confused the two villains and even surprised Riku.

The Master was clearly the most flustered of them all, or at least he gave the appearance of being so, "What do you mean by that?"

"These people aren't bound by darkness, they're bound by the light of hope!" the brunette smirked knowingly.

"What hope?" Xigbar asked. "Entire platoons of soldiers have been wiped out. Do you not realize how many broken families are in that village just waiting for the darkness to pick them off?"

"Mulan has inspired all of the women and young children to be strong so they're pushing forward. They'll repel the darkness with their courage!" Sora explained triumphantly with his right fist over his heart and added, "And they have faith that their loved ones are still with them, backing them up every step of the way."

"But what if something were to happen to Mulan? What would happen to their hope then?" the Master asked icily as he looked directly at Sora.

"Her story will continue to inspire others, even if she's no longer around," Sora responded pointedly as he clenched both fists. "I can already see it, the light of their hope keeping the darkness away. They won't fall to despair."

"Are you willing to bet on that, Sora?" the Master asked.

"I don't gamble with people's lives," Sora stated bluntly and summoned his keyblade again.

"Right! Enough talk!" Riku took his stance.

"Oh nooooooo, not tonight, I'm afraid! It's way past my bedtime!" the Master put his hands up and disappeared is a plume of black smoke.

"Yeah, we have a different venue in mind. We'll keep you posted. 'Til then: Toodles!" Xigbar saluted with two fingers before disappearing into his own darkness portal.

The keyblade wielders lowered their stances as the other two left. "They're toying with us!" Sora growled angrily as he kicked a stone.

"Even so, maybe it's better this way," Riku was still staring at the spot where Xigbar disappeared. "At least we now have an idea of what they're up to."

"That can't be it. I don't believe them," Sora groaned and sat down to rub his neck that had really begun to hurt now that his adrenaline had worn off.

"What do you mean?" Riku asked as he knelt down to check on it for him.

"It's just this vibe I'm getting off that guy," Sora winced as he tilted his head so Riku could get a good look. "Back when the original Organization XIII was still at large, they caused trouble just so I would keep wiping out heartless for them to harvest hearts. All the while staying out of my way for the most part until we fought at Hollow Bastion. I feel like we're getting baited similarly."

Riku cast curaga and watched the bruising on Sora's throat heal. Once the handprint went away, he offered the brunette a potion which he downed gratefully. "Even if that's the case, what can we do? We can't just sit back and do nothing, even if they are stringing us along."

"I know, and that's what I'm afraid of," Sora sighed and stood up, now feeling much better. "Either way, I have a feeling they won't be back here for a while. So where should we go next?"

"You really think this place will be okay?" Riku asked.

"Yeah!" Sora nodded and walked over to part some of the bamboo to show Riku the city sleeping in the distance. "Look over there," he pointed.

Riku followed him and peeked through the parted bamboo stalks, but he could only see the dark looming in from the mountains. But then Sora reached for his hand and once he felt his warm fingers clasp around his own, he could see something else. Riku couldn't hold back a gasp as suddenly the city appeared to be covered in tiny white lights as if surrounded with fireflies, despite only having a few torch lights lit before. "Sora...is that...?"

"See, they'll be fine!" Sora grinned.


	33. Happy Birthday To You, Happy Birthday To You

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's a birthday party!

The next couple of weeks were a blur for the keyblade duo as they hopped from world to world with renewed fervor in the desperate search for clues. They visited Neverland for the first time in ages. Peter Pan almost didn't even recognize Sora. But Wendy told him not to be too offended, because apparently that's normal for the boy. When they visited the Pride Lands, they found out Simba and Nala had a new cub named Kiara. However they couldn't stay too long because somehow poor Riku had been turned into a snow leopard and found the weather very disagreeable. ("I'm sorry, if Donald were here, he'd probably be able to fix it," Sora apologized.)

In Wonderland, the Cheshire Cat for once didn't have much to tell them, though apparently he loved teasing Riku the last time he had visited with King Mickey. This time around, the Queen of Hearts was ceaselessly trying to axe Riku's head because he was too pretty or something so they didn't stay too long here either. Though, Sora did take endless delight in teasing Riku for being too pretty, at least until they stopped at the jungle world where Tarzan resided and their bad landing caused Sora to have to be rescued by Riku from a stampeding herd of elephants.

They fought many heartless along the way throughout their adventures and assisted the locals in some matter or another, but nothing significant had popped up on their radar. Even so, Sora was immensely enjoying his time with Riku and he hadn't seen the silver-haired teen smile this much in ages. The world-hopping kept them so busy, however, that in no time Sora began to slow down and realized he hadn't had a crystal removed in a while. The bandages were soaked through every time to the point Riku wondered if Sora should be getting them changed three times a day instead. Despite this, Sora insisted they couldn't take a break and that his pain was still manageable. In fact, he even asked if they could compete together in the tournaments that just opened up in Thebes. Riku was hesitant, but the brunette really had his heart set on the idea, so they signed up to compete.

Of course, while they were there, Hades had rigged the games with some of his own contestants which just got bigger and bigger as the games went on. During their linked attacks, Sora found he could lend Riku some of his pent-up darkness to aid Riku's darkness-based attacks, such as Dark Firaga and some of his more supped-up aerial combos so that Riku didn't have to use up precious MP and this helped drain some of the excess darkness that Sora would otherwise need to channel into Rage Form. So by the end of the tournament (they won first place), Sora was feeling a lot better and he and Riku's teamwork had gotten all the more improved.

Almost every night was spent the same way. Usually they would pitch the tent and enjoy dinner while watching the stars. Sometimes after an especially tough day, Sora would open his music box and the two would dance and just enjoy holding each other close until they felt like they were ready to go to sleep. Through the many nights spent together, they shared many tender moments and even more in the realm of dreams. Thankfully, Sora's nightmares were becoming fewer and farther in-between so they have been sleeping very well. These days, Riku felt less rushed in the mornings so there have been many times he woke up first and would just lie there contently while he watched Sora sleep in his arms. For Sora, waking up first was less frequent but he started seeing it less as a bother and more as a treat. If he's able, he'll sneak away and find some way to make a treat for Riku to wake up to or if he's unable to sneak away, he gets to watch him sleep so serenely it almost makes Sora cry with happiness. Knowing Riku was having his own nice dream and seeing him so relaxed was the most beautiful thing to wake up to in the mornings, far outshining any sunrise.

When they weren't sleeping in a tent or some provided quarters, the two were squeezed together on Sora's bunk in the gummi ship's lower cabin, such as how they were currently. Sora's arm left arm dangled off the bunk with the other arm shoved under the pillow where it joined Riku's, their hands clasped while Riku's free arm was hugged tightly around Sora's waist so as to keep him from falling off, as he sometimes did if he was wriggling too much in his sleep. Legs were tangled together with a sheet knotted in there somewhere, all around them and also in between them. Earlier that day they explored a small portion of Agrabah but found the place too busy to stay around for very long as it appeared the entire kingdom was preparing for Aladdin and Princess Jasmine's upcoming wedding. So after ensuring there were no heartless that could get in the way, the two quietly hopped in and out. Running through the hot climate and sandy, wind-swept terrain wiped both of them out so they went to bed on the gummi ship rather early.

Despite going to bed early, neither have awakened yet, a clear indicator of how exhausted they were as both were still softly snoring nearly 15 hours later. It wasn't until a familiar _Do de doooooooooo~_ erupted from one of the gummi phones haphazardly tossed on the charging station near their bunk went off for several seconds that either of them stirred. Riku was the one to groan quietly and chose to disentangle his numb arm to reach above his head to grab the offending gummi phone while his other arm adjusted to pull Sora closer. He didn't even bother opening his eyes as he slid his thumb all over the screen. Best case scenario, he'd answer the call. Worst case, he would accidently hang up and he can snooze a little longer until they call back...or was _that_ the best case scenario? Regardless, he heard the beep that indicated he answered it properly and fumbled to just lay it on top of his ear lazily while he buried his face back into Sora's hair before mumbling a quiet "Hello?"

"Riku! It's Kairi. Wait, did I wake you?"

"Yes," Riku groaned bluntly, his strong biceps twitching slightly as they flexed around Sora's body, who still hasn't stirred even once.

"Riku? It's noon!"

"I don't see your point."

"I think Sora's rubbing off on you."

"Nobody's rubbing off on anybody, Kairi. Get your mind out of the gutter," Riku mumbled sleepily.

Kairi squealed and cry-laughed into the phone so loudly it made Riku wince but he was too lazy to move the phone away. Even Sora seemed to have heard it as he starting wrinkling his nose and flexing his fingers in his sleep.

"Shhhhhhhhhhhh...you're going to wake up Sora," the keyblade master warned irritably, now becoming more and more awake with every passing second.

"Oh right. So we're ready for you guys to visit Radiant Garden. Everybody's here."

It took Riku a second to realize what she was talking about, given his sleepy state, but now he was more awake than ever. In a lower voice he whispered, "So how are we doing this? Is it a surprise or...?"

"Preferably a surprise, yes. So just get him over here and pretend you don't remember otherwise he'll guess."

Riku smirked into the phone as he lazily stroked a few strands sticking from the top of Sora's head. "I don't even think HE remembers."

"So when do you think you'll get here?"

"I dunno...an hour? Maybe two?"

"That'd be perfect. Little Chef should have lunch prepared by then."

"Wait, you got him there too?"

"Like I said, EVERYBODY is here."

"Sounds great. We'll see you in two hours, then."

"Okay, you two travel safe. See you soon!"

After she hung up, Riku began the process of waking Sora up. First with kisses along his forehead, then along his jawline while his hand that wasn't pinned beneath him rubbed his hip. "Sora~" he whispered into his ear.

"Nnn..." Sora stirred and turned towards Riku to return the good morning kisses before yawning into Riku's chest cutely. "What time is it?"

"A little past noon," Riku answered while he used both hands to rub up and down Sora's back to help him wake up, which made the other groan appreciatively.

"Wow, we slept a long time," Sora blinked and gave one last yawn before pulling away from Riku to sit up and stretch properly. "Hope we didn't have heat stroke."

"I'm just glad we were able to heal the sunburn," Riku commented as he sat up and scooched awkwardly off the bunk to grab the medical supplies. "Let's not visit any desert worlds for a while, huh?"

"Right," Sora agreed while he stretched his arms above his head and gave one last yawn. He turned to swing his legs over the bunk and rubbed his thighs that were still a little sore from yesterday. "Why is desert sand harder to run in than beach sand? I don't get it."

"Maybe because it's dryer and sifts around more? I don't know," Riku answered as he clipped away Sora's bandages and got to work wrapping him up again. "We'll be able to recover at our next destination, though. We need to go to Radiant Garden and pick up some supplies."

"We do?" Sora asked. "I guess it has been a while since we've restocked. I haven't really been keeping track. But that sounds great. We'll get to pay Kairi a visit while we're there."

"Yup!" Riku smirked as he leaned behind Sora to wrap the gauze around his chest and lower back. Once he was all done, he stepped back to look over his handiwork. "How's that feel? Are you in any pain?"

Sora flexed everything as usual to make sure nothing was too tight or shifting too much. "I'd say pain level is at a manageable five," he answered. "It'll probably be a four after the potions."

"Better than a six," Riku made note as he handed Sora his daily three potions and grabbed them toaster pastries to nibble on while Sora got to work downing all of them. Before they participated in the tournament, the brunette's pain level had been at a constant six for several days. Naturally, he was relieved to see Sora feeling slightly better, but he wondered how long it would be before Sora's pain spiked up again. _What if...he starts shooting out crystals while we're there? That might be a bad time..._

While Riku was pondering away, Sora had already gotten dressed and took the offered toaster pastry. "You going to get dressed?"

"Oh, right. I guess that'd be a good idea," Riku smiled and ruffled Sora's hair. "I'll meet you up in the cockpit."

"'Kay!" Sora smiled back and stood on his toes to give Riku a sweet little smooch before climbing the ladder to leave him to take care of whatever.

Riku looked down at trashcan nomming at Sora's used bandages and put a finger to his lips with a little wink. "You heard nothing."

When Riku joined Sora in the cockpit, Sora was already sitting in the captain's chair, whether it was by old habit or whatever, Riku didn't see the harm in letting Sora take the wheel. "You want to drive?"

"Hm?" Sora blinked but then his face broke into a broad smile. "Yeah!"

. . . .

Once they had arrived, Sora realized that the layout of the town had changed so much that he had no idea where to land, so Riku had to take the wheel and landed in the courtyard just in front of Ansem's rebuilt castle. Once they disembarked, Sora was in complete awe of the beautiful flowers and flowing fountains. "Wow!" he gasped as he ran over to one of the flower beds. "This place is beautiful!"

"When's the last time you've been here, Sora?" Riku asked.

"Uhhh..." Sora scratched his cheek in thought. "Since this whole area was still a quarry, I guess?"

Riku was taken aback. He hadn't realized it had been that long for Sora. "So I guess I'll be the one giving you the tour, then?"

"I guess so!" Sora shrugged. "But I recognize the castle, I think. It looks like the Restoration Committee really did a great job! OH YEAH! We should see Leon and the others too!"

"Yeah, about that, hang tight, Sora. I need to make a call," Riku hurried over a fair distance out of ear shot while Sora tried to take some pictures of butterflies with his gummi phone. Once he looked distracted enough, he hurried to call Kairi back.

"Riku?"

"Kairi, we're here. Uh...where did you want us to go?"

"You're here!? Why didn't you text before you landed?"

"You didn't tell me to! Never mind that, we parked in Ansem's courtyard. Where do you want us to meet you?"

"Just stay right there, I'll come get you! I'll be down in five!"

She hung up with a click and Riku sighed as he facepalmed. He's going to feel bad if Sora's surprise is ruined.

"HEY! I found a lucky emblem!"

Riku walked over and sure enough, there was a lucky emblem shape in the flowers and Sora was eagerly snapping a pic of himself posing with it. "What'd you win for finding it?" Riku asked as he snapped a picture as well. His own phone said he won a postcard for the item shop in Twilight Town. "I hate getting post cards. It's just one more trip I have to take."

"I got an elixir coupon!" Sora cheered happily as he bounced up and down. "Nice! Wait, how many post cards do you have?"

"About 30," Riku grumbled as he put his phone away.

"WHAT!? We could skip the restock and just cash in your post cards!"

"How about we do that on our next stop?" Riku chuckled.

"And then we have to get ready for Ariel's wedding next!" Sora grinned as he shoved his phone back into his pocket. "But now that I'm thinking about it, wasn't there something else we have to do? I feel like I'm forgetting something."

"Hm, wonder what it could be," Riku smiled at him just as Kairi came running down the stairs and opened the castle gates.

"Sora! Riku!" she greeted as she ran over to give them each a hug.

"Hey, Kairi!" Sora gave her an extra long squeeze.

"I'm so glad you're here!" Kairi grinned and gave a wink to Riku. "You haven't been around town yet, have you?"

Sora shook his head. "Nope, we just got here."

"Great! Allow me to give you the tour. Follow me!" she grabbed Sora by the hand and started taking him past the fountain.

"Well, Riku said we needed supplies!" Sora tried to interject as he was dragged along. He was at least TRYING to be responsible while Riku was trying so hard not to laugh as he followed behind.

"That can wait 'til later!" Kairi insisted with a giggle before leading them down an alley at breakneck speed.

"Whoa! Kairi! Slow down!" Sora hobbled behind her. "Why are we going down this way? Riku! Make her stop!"

"Hey, I'm just following her too!" Riku chuckled.

"And here we are!" Kairi squealed as she brought Sora out of the dark alley and into the town square where all of their friends were waiting under a giant banner!!

"SURPRISE!!!!!!"

The banner unfurled to read "HAPPY BIRTHDAY, SORA!" and all their friends including the Restoration Committee, Ansem the Wise, and all of his assistants were there! Even Queen Minnie and Chip and Dale have left the castle to come visit! As they shouted, everybody set off poppers and threw streamers at the birthday boy who stood there completely floored as he took in the sight of all his friends dressed in silly party hats surrounded with tables full of food and drink and with Scrooge McDuck handing out ice cream with Little Chef proudly standing next to the dishes and somewhere in the back was a large DJ table and Karaoke stage.

"You guys!!" Sora cried out with his hands over his face, still trying to take it all in as Kairi stuck a birthday crown on his head.

"Happy birthday, Sora!" she cheered as she gave him a kiss on the cheek. "Come on! Everybody's excited to see you!"

Merlin the wizard magicked a party hat on top of Riku's head and beckoned the three friends to follow them to the center where with another wave of his cane, he summoned a giant 6 tier cake in the center of the crowd with white icing and strawberries and lollipops all over it and a giant 17 at the top. Everybody applauded and started singing happy birthday for Sora whose face was turning beet red but he was also smiling so broadly that his cheeks were already beginning to hurt. This was all happening so fast! Once the singing stopped, they all cheered for him to blow out the candles!

"Guys! I'm going to need a step ladder!" Sora laughed. "Wait, I got this!" He summoned his keyblade and cast a tiny ball of aero magic at the top to blow them out and everybody cheered again! "Woohoo! Nailed it!"

In little time at all, everybody was gathering food from the buffet Little Chef had prepared and magical knives were cutting up the cake and setting slices on plates for everybody to grab. Each tier was made of a different flavor so there was plenty of variety to choose from. Birthday boy got a giant chocolate slice that had a red S on it made of icing as well as a blue icing rosette and was given a plate of filet mignon specially by Little Chef. Once they all settled at the tables that were all set up, music started playing from the DJ table as a hologram of Tron came into view as assisted by Cid!

"Let's all have another shout out for the birthday boy! Congratulations, Sora!" Tron shouted. "This one's for you!"

"THANK YOU, TRON!!" Sora laughed and waved at the hologram as he tried to shout over all his cheering friends. Once the music started playing, everybody settled down to eat. The birthday boy was seated with Kairi, Riku, Roxas, Xion, and Naminé. Little Chef was brought to their table so Sora could sing his praises, meanwhile Riku was observing Sora laughing along with Kairi and Roxas thoughtfully. Naminé was seated next to Riku and noticed him staring off into space and leaned into him, "You okay?"

"Yeah, just thinking about how many birthdays Sora has actually missed. He was only a few months from his 15th birthday before we got swept off the island. Then he ended up spending said birthday inside the pod. Then another birthday happened while he was out adventuring with Donald and Goofy. I'm sure they helped him celebrate somehow, but still...he's got a lot to make up for," Riku sighed.

"Well we're going to make sure he has the best birthday ever, right?" Naminé cheered. "And what about your birthday?"

"What?" Riku straightened up.

"Yours, silly!" Naminé giggled. "You've celebrated yours, right?"

"I mean, yeah, with the king. And I was able to go home for one of them. But that's not really--"

"We have a lot of birthdays to celebrate now!" Naminé beamed.

Riku chuckled, "Yeah, I guess we do."

"OW!" Sora cried out from the other side of the table. "What was that for?" he asked Leon while rubbing his arm.

"It's a pinch to grow an inch. You have a lot of catching up to do," the leather-clad man smirked.

"That can't be a thing!" Sora pouted. "But hey, I'll take it if it works!"

"And don't forget the birthday kisses!" Kairi grinned.

"Oh no!" Sora blushed as Xion laughed and gave him one on his spare cheek.

"Ooh, I want to give a birthday kiss too!" Naminé clapped and hurried over to place one on Sora's other cheek.

"I like this birthday pinch thing," Roxas cackled and pinched Sora's arm too.

"Ow! Hey, don't pinch where Leon did! That hurts!"

The next hour or so was a blur of food and cake as Sora hopped from table to table to say hi to everybody. By the time the meal was over, word had gotten around about the pinches and kisses so he was bound to be at least six and a half feet tall by next year. The whole thing left Sora pretty sore but also very blushy from all the affection as the party atmosphere started to ramp up. The most hilarious instance had to be when he greeted Aerith and Cloud. Aerith had given Sora a kiss on the cheek and Cloud PINCHED Sora's other cheek, earning a yelp from the brunette as that was surprisingly the first time he had gotten pinched there today, but he laughed it off.

"I'm so happy to see you, Cloud! It's been ages!" Sora beamed happily at the blonde.

"I just happened to be in the area," the swordsman insisted. But then he handed Sora a metal chocobo keychain and said, "Happy Birthday."

"Thank you so much, Cloud!" Sora took it carefully and looked it over in his hands, the nostalgia already coming back.

"Think nothing of it. Just be safe out there."

Sora nodded and stuffed it into his pocket, "Right. You know it!"

Aerith chuckled and linked arms with Cloud, "On that note, we're going to hit the dance floor!"

"We are?"

"Haha, you two have fun!" Sora chuckled and ran off to go see Tron next. "TRON!"

"Sora!" the program greeted and waved Sora over behind the DJ station so he could greet him properly. "I'd give you a proper user greeting, but I'm merely a hologram. I'd just go through you."

"It's fine! We can pretend!" Sora opened his arms and Tron leaned down to give him a hug. Even if he's only a hologram, Sora still felt the warmth behind the gesture. Once they parted, Sora grinned at him broadly. "So when did you get into music?"

"Cid had updated some of my features! I can even dance now," Tron chuckled. "I heard you've been very busy. All of your adventures have been uploaded into my database recently."

"Uh...has anything else been uploaded?" Sora asked sheepishly.

"Yes," Tron's expression grew a little more solemn, but he looked at Sora and smiled again, "I'm so happy to see you're doing better. I'm looking forward to more updates."

"Thanks, Tron! I'll be sure to keep everybody posted!" Sora smiled back and shoved the unhappy feelings aside.

"So tell me about your co-user!"

"My..."co-user"?" Sora tilted his head really far. "You mean Riku? Wait, how did you know?"

"I just picked up on the social cues that you two have been giving each other. They match those of users who are in love. Is that not the case?"

Sora blushed heavily, "It's that obvious?"

"So I'm right!" Tron laughed. "Wait, you haven't formally announced it? Am I not supposed to know?"

Now Sora was flustered on top of being red, "Well, I mean it's not a secret but...am I supposed to announce it some way?"

"I'm not certain," Tron admitted. 

"I've told a few people, but I don't think I've mentioned it out loud to anybody else here," Sora explained. "It does seem weird to just come out and say it, though."

"Well, maybe they're like me and they already know," Tron chuckled. "So you probably don't have to say anything at all."

"So what REALLY gave it away?" Sora asked. "I mean, if you were able to figure it out, then it must be super obvious, right?"

"I just perused your kingstagram posts, is all," Tron laughed.

"WHAT!?" Sora whipped out his phone and pulled up kingstagram. Most of his pics were a little blurry, but he couldn't see anything too obvious in them. "Where??"

Tron leaned over and pointed to one as Sora scrolled through them. It was a pic that Sora took of Riku putting away the tent. "What's so special about this one?" Sora asked.

"Just the way Riku's smiling at you when he caught you taking the picture," Tron explained. "And then there's this one that you took of the both of you. The way you're looking at him and not the camera suggests intimacy."

Sora smiled softly at the image. It was an awkward selfie he took of him and Riku wrestling in the flowers in Corona. He had topped Riku and tried to take a pic, his thumb midway through taking it, but when Riku flipped him over, he ended up taking a picture of them looking at each other with Riku on top. He didn't realize he had taken the pic until later. As he scrolled through the ones he took, he decided he liked the framing with the way the flowers peeked through the corners of the picture and he uploaded it in a group with others from the festival. Looking at it closer, it does look very romantic. "I guess it is obvious, huh?" Sora chuckled.

"If nothing else, it's very clear that Riku's important to you. And I'm glad you two have each other," Tron smiled.

"Thanks, Tron!" Sora beamed as he put the phone away. "So how are things going with you?"

"It's mostly involved working with Ansem the Wise in the lab and everything. I enjoy it very much but right now is not the time to talk about work. Go back out there and have fun. Leave the tunes to me!"

"Haha! You're doing a great job, Tron! I'll have to visit you in person really soon!"

"Take care! And you better be dancing out there!"

"I will!" Sora laughed as he hopped down from the DJ station and ran over to catch up with the others.

Eventually, Sora came across Ansem the Wise and Ienzo. The other lab guards have retaken their posts to keep watch over the party so that nobody would have to worry, which was just as well, because Sora wasn't quite sure how to greet the one he knew as Xaldin and he didn't even know who the red-headed one was but they looked at him as if they knew him so he only smiled and waved awkwardly. Greeting Ansem the Wise somehow felt even more awkward as Sora hadn't seen him since he was taken out by the explosion of his heart conversion device. "It's good to see you," Sora attempted to smile as he clutched a glass of paopu punch in his hands.

"Happy Birthday, Sora," the old man nodded. "I'm glad to see you're doing so well. Kairi and the others have been diligently studying the data Riku has sent us of your condition so that we may use it to help others."

"Thank you!" Sora smiled awkwardly, "Yeah, I heard. And thank you for all your hard work. I hope you're...feeling better too?"

Ienzo snorted into his drink and Ansem looked confused for a moment. "Oh yes, you mean the explosion? Don't worry yourself. I didn't feel a thing."

"That's good," Sora attempted to grin through his embarrassment.

"We'd like it if you and Riku stayed at the castle tonight," Ienzo offered, "Unless you have plans for other lodgings, that is. We'd like to invite you to the lab and collect some more data, if that's alright with you?"

"Sure!" Sora accepted. "We have some crystals we wanted to give you anyway. It'd be nice to get some more answers. Besides, I think Riku was getting nervous carrying so many around all the time."

"Rest assured, the samples will be safe with us," Ansem nodded.

"Sounds great! And thank you for asking us to stay. We'd love to."

It was just then that the beat dropped and Tron announced it was time for the birthday boy to open his presents, much to Sora's surprise! Kairi hurried over and grabbed his wrist to drag him over to the present table and everybody gathered around to watch him unwrap them. There were a lot of different packages, most of which had things like supplies for their journey and a lot of different accessories. In fact, by the time he had finished unwrapping everything, he felt like he had enough materials and accessories to start his own item shop. The biggest surprise came from Leon and the others when he came forward with a large colorful sack filled with 50,000 munny, but he handed it to Riku. "I'll have you hold onto this. Take him somewhere fun," he instructed.

"Yeah, keep it away from the pink monkeys!" Xion nodded.

"I have YET to see these pink monkeys," Riku snorted. "I'm starting to think you're pulling my leg."

"They're real, trust me!" Roxas nodded.

"It's true, a-hyuck! They've stolen Donald's wallet on more than one occasion," Goofy added.

After the presents, the brooms that Yen Sid brought along went to work clearing out the empty plates and food receptacles and the giant pile of wrapping paper so that everybody could help move the tables and widen the dance floor for more dancing and party games! It was a wonderfully warm day, so out came a water balloon toss game. Sora got paired with Roxas and the two battled it out against all the teams, making it to the final round against Riku and Kairi and Minnie and Mickey. The results were spectacular with Queen Minnie getting splashed in the face and Roxas's balloon exploding right at his groin, leaving Riku and Kairi the winners! The winners of the party games each got giant chocolate medals which Kairi snacked on eagerly. After that, there were many more. Cloud won the bean bag toss but he gave his chocolate to Tifa and Aerith to share when he saw the both of them eyeing it. Sora won a game of Simon Says hosted by Tron himself. Many more games included "Try Not to Laugh" contests, darts, water gun fights, and so on. Master Yen Sid and Merlin even put on a magic show! Then came time for more dancing where almost everybody wanted a chance to dance with Sora, especially after he showed off so many times by performing flips off the tables. Between him and Roxas, it seemed they were having a dance-off every few minutes as even Xion wanted to try out her moves against him. Then there was another weird sort of dance circle where it was literally just Sora joining hands with Ventus, Aqua, and Terra while they held on and tried to see how fast they could spin around without losing their grip. It was so much fun but also made Sora very dizzy. Aqua was the one to break the circle which made Sora and Ven crack around like a whip and crash into Terra, leaving everybody in a huge giggling pile.

At some point, Tron even played the music that Riku and Sora danced to in Corona and Sora got so swept away, that by the time he paired up with Kairi he was almost breathless.

"This has been so much fun!" he shouted over the music.

"I'm so glad, Sora!" Kairi shouted back, squealing happily as Sora dipped her and pulled her back up. When she was upright again, she grabbed Sora's hand and twirled him around playfully.

"Who planned all of this?" Sora asked as he was spun, "WHOA! Hahaha!"

"Everybody in Radiant Garden pitched in, and then Merlin spoke to Master Yen Sid about it, and then they brought King Mickey in on it who then spoke to Mr. Scrooge, and it just built up from there!"

Riku meanwhile had also got dragged into the dancing and got paired up with Xion, who he had to admit, he had a lot of fun tossing around and spinning as the spunky little teen's laugh was just a delight.

"You're so good at this, Riku!" Xion giggled as he tossed her over his head and caught her in midair to flip her over. "Whoo!"

"Sora's a good teacher," Riku laughed. "Don't give me too much credit."

"You two have been having a lot of fun together, haven't you?" she smiled as she landed back on the ground.

"For the most part, yeah. How's school been treating you?" he asked as he spun her around.

"I'm getting dizzy!" she squealed. "It's been great! I'm really liking it!"

"Easy on the spin cycle, Mr. Hulk," Roxas laughed as he cut in and took Xion's hand next, leaving Riku to pair up with Naminé.

"We meet again, Riku," Naminé giggled as he took her hand.

"I guess so. May I have this dance?" Riku chuckled.

"You may!" the blonde blushed prettily as the keyblade master gently put a hand on her waist and got into step again, though a lot more gently than he did with Xion as Naminé seemed to be struggling as much as he did when he first tried.

"Sora!"

"Huh?" Sora looked back to Kairi who had noticed him staring at Riku and Naminé.

"You haven't danced with Riku yet, have you?" she said knowingly.

"No, not yet, but it's okay," Sora insisted. "I like dancing with you too."

Kairi smiled happily, "Thanks, but how about I grab us all something to drink and you can dance with Riku for a bit?"

"If you're sure!" Sora accepted happily and the two moved over to Riku and Naminé where the two pairs switched partners. Naminé and Kairi linked arms and giggled as they danced their way to the drink table while they left the boys alone.

"Found you!" Sora snickered as he grabbed Riku's hands.

"Darn, and I was trying so hard to hide," Riku rolled his eyes playfully before grabbing Sora's waist. "You doing okay?"

"Yeah, I'm great!" Sora smiled. Truth be told, exhaustion was starting to set in, but being within reach of Riku made him feel much better.

"Glad to hear it," Riku smirked and leaned down to give Sora a long kiss, which Sora melted into happily.

Once Riku pulled away, Sora opened his eyes and blushed as he blinked up at him, "What was that one for?"

Riku chuckled and ran a thumb over Sora's cheek, "Well I'm not going to pinch you. If you get taller than me, you'll never let me live it down."

"I KNEW IT!" Roxas shouted from right next to them.

"Roxas!" Xion swatted him in the chest. "Don't be rude!"

"Me? Rude? Look at Mr. PDA over here!" Roxas joked as he reached to poke Riku in the side.

"Watch it!" Riku swatted the hand away, but he was smirking at Roxas as he did it.

"Wow! Congratulations, you two!" Goofy cheered from the snack table.

Sora's blush grew worse as he looked around and noticed everybody giving them knowing smiles. "Wait, did EVERYBODY know?"

"Yeah."  
"Pretty obvious."  
"Written all over your faces."  
"Yup."  
"Since I've known you."  
"Definitely."  
"Mm-hmm."  
"We saw your kingstagram."  
"Surprised it wasn't sooner."  
"Well I had no idea."  
"Not surprised, Dale."

Riku felt his own face turn pink. To be perfectly honest, he didn't even think about everybody else being there when he kissed Sora. It was a slip-up on his part. But he certainly wasn't go to be embarrassed by it. He was proud of what he and Sora had. Though he could understand if Sora was displeased. But looking back down at the smiling brunette, it was clear the other didn't seem to mind at all and as quick as everything happened, everybody was back to dancing. The only difference now being that everybody was saying congratulations as they danced past them.

Before everybody realized it, it was getting dark and the town torches were being lit. As a grand finale before everybody turned in for the night, there was a huge fireworks display which had a spectacular finish of gold and silvers sparks that spelled out Happy Birthday for Sora. The entire time, Sora was entranced and gripping both Riku and Kairi's hands as they watched together. Once it was all over, everybody helped the brooms clean up and Merlin, Yen Sid, and the Good Fairies made quick work of magicking away the tables and decorum. Sora hurried over to say good-bye to Tron before Cid turned off the projector and let him know he'll be in the lab tomorrow. Once everything was packed up and all the gifts were shoved back onto the gummi ship, after which, Sora thanked everybody before they all said their good-byes and either went home for the evening or went to the lodgings they arranged for the night. When all was said and done, Kairi figured now was a good time to show Sora and Riku where they'd be staying in Ansem's castle.

By the time they made it past the front gate, Sora was leaning heavily on Riku while Kairi generously offered to carry the one bag that they always brought with them. Kairi noticed Sora slowing down and once they reached the first set of stairs, she noticed how Sora looked at them with utter dismay.

"Maybe we should take the elevator?" Kairi offered.

"Please," both Sora and Riku replied at the same time, earning a chuckle from the red-head.

The room she led them to had a great view of the surrounding trees and they could see the moon looming beautifully overhead. This time, Sora was pleased to see the queen-sized bed was a fair distance away from the window. Said room decorated with soft reds and golds and cream colored walls and had a very luxurious-looking bathroom with a large jacuzzi AND walk-in shower.

"Wow, this room's for us?" Sora asked as he took it all in.

"Yup! This is actually one of the smaller rooms, but we figured you two wouldn't mind," Kairi explained as she set down the bag. "We usually have breakfast pretty early, but the kitchen's open all day. Make yourselves at home. If you want, Sora, you can text me when you wake up and I can cup you again."

"Cup? Oh right! Sure, we can do that," the brunette agreed. "Think we could try it on my legs this time?"

"Absolutely! Anywhere you want," Kairi clapped her hands together happily. "Well I'll leave you two alone. Good night!"

Both bid her good night and as soon as she closed the door, Sora collapsed into one of the chairs. "I'm sooooo soooooooooore!" he whined.

Riku laughed, though he was kind of sore himself. But if there was any day for Sora to overdo it, he was glad it was today. "How about a hot bath?"

"Sounds amazing," Sora moaned dramatically.

"Alright, get undressed and I'll get the bath ready."

"Yessir!" Sora saluted and wasted no time ripping his clothes off while Riku got the jacuzzi running.

When Riku returned, he stripped Sora of his bandages. "I think you can take a bath without them today, what do you think?"

Sora's eyes brightened and he nodded vigorously as he took Riku's hand and let the taller teen lead him to the shower, where they scrubbed off before getting into the large square-shaped basin which had filled in practically no time.

"Omigod, it feels so good!" Sora moaned as he sunk into the bubbling bath while Riku followed right after him. "I want one of these!"

"Maybe for your next birthday," Riku snorted.

"Nnnnnn...dunno if I can wait that long," Sora whined as he felt the jets pleasantly pummel his lower back.

As they soaked together, they looked at their phones and showed each other the pictures they took as well as perused the many many photos everybody else took. There were even a few where people caught the two of them kissing which both of them couldn't resist saving to their phones.

"That one's going to be my phone background," Riku pointed.

"No way, I was going to do the same thing!" Sora chuckled.

"What's your lock screen?"

"The one of us in the flower field."

"That was a good one."

"Yeah, it's one of my favorites. What's yours?"

"The one I have of you making breakfast."

"Why that one?"

"I dunno, I change it all the time."

"Awww, Riku~"

"What?"

"You really are a sap after all~" Sora teased.

"Now don't you start with that!" Riku smirked as he leaned into Sora for a kiss.

"Or what?" Sora asked cheekily as he brought his lips to Riku's.

"I think you know," Riku threatened as he pressed them together to kiss him deeply.

Whatever it was, Sora never really figured it out as both phones lay forgotten on the edge of the tub while the two made out for about an hour. Sora reveled so much in the feel of Riku's skin pressed against his without any barriers between them and wouldn't let the teen pull away for more than a few seconds as he got drunk off of his kisses and lost himself in the feel of his strong arms wrapped around his body and his hands feeling him all over. Eventually, the bath got too cool and two of them too pruny to stay in there any longer so unfortunately it was time to get out. However once the two were dried off and back in the bedroom, the hot and heated kisses continued even as Riku tried to pin Sora down long enough to wrap him back up.

"Are you not going to behave, Sora?" Riku asked as he literally had a giggling Sora pinned down on the bed with a set of gauze clenched in his fists.

"Maybe if you ask nicely!" the brunette replied cheekily.

"Nicely, huh?" Riku huffed and brought his face down to Sora's ear to whisper huskily, "How nice do you want it?"

"Very nice?" Sora whispered back as the tone of Riku's voice sent a shiver down his spine.

"Okay," he whispered. "Sora?"

"Yes, Riku?" Sora cooed.

"If you don't let me bandage you...I'm going to leave you here all night to suffer. Now will you PLEASE behave?"

The way he asked was so icy and yet so hot that Sora didn't know how to respond as his eyes widened with fear but also got goosebumps all over. Finally he just nodded in response and let Riku do what he wanted.

"Thank you," Riku smirked and resumed his work. Though he did enjoy teasing Sora as he did it, trailing his fingers along his toned muscles and gently rubbing anywhere there was a knot while occasionally leaving kisses along Sora's neck and chest until the process was complete.

Every kiss and every touch warmed Sora to his core and before he knew it, Riku was done and lying in the bed next to him, pulling him close as he pulled a blanket over top of him. Sora cooed affectionately and kissed Riku's right bicep as it wrapped around him and he settled into his strong embrace. "Good night, Riku."

The silverette pressed a kiss to Sora's cheek before letting his head settle on the pillow. "Good night, Sora. And happy birthday."


	34. Don't Look at Me, Don't Leave Me

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The boys spend a night at Radiant Garden and pay a visit to the lab.

"I don't wanna be a Cho-co-bo, I don't wanna be a duck, so kiss my BUTT, da-na-na-na!" _Clap! Clap! Clap! Clap!_

Riku blinked awake and found himself in the forests of Corona. He could tell right away he wasn't in his own dream, or at least he hoped that was the case. Far off somewhere, he could hear what sounded like Sora singing that ridiculous song that they danced to at his birthday party earlier that day. As he approached the source of the voice, he could hear Sora's singing get faster and faster.

"I don't wanna be a Cho-co-bo, I don't wanna be a duck, so kiss my BUTT, da-na-na-na!" _Clap! Clap! Clap! Clap!_

Riku tried to be prepared for anything, but what he certainly wasn't prepared to see was Sora surrounded by a herd of chocobo doing the chocobo dance while they all cheered him on. Sora appeared to be perpetually stuck doing the clucking motions with his hands, the flapping with his arms, and the butt shake over and over in succession for their amusement. The sight was so ridiculous that Riku burst into laughter, much to Sora's clear dismay but he kept singing the weird song.

"What the heck are you doing, Sora?"

"If I stop, they get mad!" Sora shouted.

"KWEH!"

"Sorry!" Sora apologized to the complaining chocobo before getting back into the pattern again. "Save yourself, Riku!"

"Why don't you just run away?"

"Outrun a chocobo, are you nuts!?"

"You can do it!"

"ARGH!! OKAY!" Sora did one last _CLAP CLAP CLAP CLAP_ before making a run for it, using flow motion to snatch a tree branch and hop over the ring of chocobo and running for Riku. The birds all did a double-take before simultaneously screeching "KWEEEEEEEEEEEEH!!" and chasing after him in a thunderous herd.

"Crap, they seem really mad!" Riku turned and bolted.

"YA THINK!?" Sora shouted as he caught up to Riku. "Follow me!" he shouted over the sounds of the galloping chocobo and led him down a path towards what appeared to be a dead end, but then he snatched Riku's hand and pulled him into a cave concealed by a curtain of vines. Once they were safe they both doubled over to catch their breaths while the herd ran right past their hiding place.

"Nice hiding place," Riku panted.

"Thanks. We should be safe here," Sora straightened up after he caught his breath. "I'm so glad to be out of there. I feel like I've been doing that dance for an hour!"

"So you've been shaking your ass for a bunch of birds for an hour?" Riku deadpanned.

"They were really scary birds!" Sora huffed. "That's why you're here, right? You're here to protect me!"

"Somehow I don't think that's it," the elder teen laughed.

"Then what?" the brunette pouted.

"Maybe you were supposed to be shaking your butt for me instead?" Riku asked slyly.

"Oh grow up!" Sora laughed and punched him playfully in the arm.

Before the brunette could even retract his arm, Riku had grabbed him by the wrist, surprising the smaller teen with how firmly he was holding him. He looked up to see Riku's teal eyes turning into a shade of dark green just as he brought Sora's palm up to his mouth to lightly bite the fleshy part of his thumb. It didn't hurt, but it felt a little strange. "Riku?"

Riku wasn't sure what drove him to bite Sora instead of kissing him like he normally would have, but he found he liked the feeling of Sora's flesh between his teeth. He didn't want to to hurt him, obviously, but there was just something about the feeling of his teeth gently sinking into him that felt utterly satisfying. He loosened his grip on Sora's wrist just a smidge while he used his free hand to remove the teen's gauntlet and drop it to the ground. Without the offending accessory in the way, he brought the soft part of Sora's wrist back to his lips and began nibbling all the way down the soft skin of his inner forearm. With every little love bite, he kept his eyes locked on Sora's, drinking in his adorable expression of confusion and growing arousal as he cheeks became more and more flushed while his eyes watched his every move.

The sensation of Riku's hot breath and teeth dragging and nibbling along the sensitive area had Sora trembling as little sparks of pleasure gave him goosebumps. With his free hand, the brunette reached up to run his fingers through the other's silver mane while the taller teen continued to lock eyes with him. He heard a low noise escape Riku's throat as he closed his eyes and leaned his head into Sora's touch. When he opened them again, they were a striking shade of pink. Almost immediately, Riku ceased his nibbling, but only to wrap his other arm around Sora's waist so he could force him to his toes and capture his mouth in a searing kiss. The rough motion untucked Sora's shirt from his pants and he shivered as he felt Riku's fingers around his waist sneak underneath and caress his skin, his fingertips teasingly dipping underneath the fabric resting on his hips. Everywhere Riku touched felt so hot and everywhere he wasn't felt so cold, making him shiver all over as his body pleaded for more.

Pulling Sora flush against his body was nice, but once he dared to touch more of him, he just couldn't get enough. Every bit of Sora was addicting and he wanted to indulge so badly. Even as Sora's lips parted to let him in, he wanted more. As he drank in Sora's soft moans, he wanted more. While both hands wrapped around Sora's thin frame and gently raked down his back and made him squirm, Riku wanted more! With one swift motion, he looped his arms under the backs of Sora's thighs and lifted him to force the brunette's legs to wrap around his waist and once he complied, he gently lowered the both of them down to lay Sora on the ground with his hand cradling the back of his head as he took his mouth for another deep kiss. As he kneeled between Sora's legs, he felt like he could feel even more heat radiating off of the smaller teen and couldn't keep himself from pressing even further into him until he could almost feel Sora sinking into the soft moss and grass that lined the ground at the entrance of the cave.

Once Sora started mewling, Riku acknowledged the other's need for air and finally released him, only to continue his onslaught of kisses down his jawline and neck. He couldn't resist nibbling him at the juncture of his neck and shoulder as he took in Sora's scent of sunshine and citrus. He tasted so sweet and every sound he made that softly echoed in the cave was music to Riku's ears. Every gasp, every mewl, every moan, he wanted to hear again and again. At some point, he felt those wonderful fingers snake through his hair and even clutch into his scalp, a gentle tug forcing him back to reality for a brief moment. His breaths heaving, he pulled back to drink in the sight of Sora beneath him, all flushed while the sun spilling between the vines sparkled all over his gently rising and falling chest. He almost felt his heart stop at the way the golden rays glinted in Sora's eyes within the dim lighting of the cave. The two stared at each other in silence for a brief moment and finally a small, sweet smile crept to Sora's lips. "Sora..." Riku choked out in a voice barely above a whisper.

Beneath him, Riku could see Sora sharply inhaled as he said his name and felt something he couldn't name as the brunette looked at him through half-lidded eyes and whispered back, "Riku?"

"C-can I?" the dream eater asked as he thumbed the bottom of Sora's shirt. To which the brunette nodded and closed his eyes all the way before whispering, "Yes...please, yes..." which was all the permission Riku needed. As he sat straight up, he could feel his hands shaking as he removed his gauntlets, leaving nothing on but the bracelet Sora made for him before gently pushing up Sora's shirt to reveal his beautifully sculpted chest. As he drank in the sight of his taut, sun-kissed skin, Sora squirmed beneath him impatiently and he knelt back down to leave apologetic kisses on his abdomen, slowly working his way up as his now-uncovered hands palmed at his pectorals adoringly, his necklace clinking softly as he admired his build with his touch. He could feel Sora's heart pounding beneath his hands and just couldn't resist gently squeezing the muscles in his grip, which caused a mewl to escape from Sora. Such a noise further stoked the fire building in Riku's middle and he couldn't help squeezing them firmer, the once-tense flesh now conforming to his grip, earned a full-blown moan from the brunette. Further encouraged by the beautiful noises Sora was making, Riku leaned back down and began gently lapping at the barest tip of each nipple. For every one that wasn't getting attention, he teased with his thumb until he could return to it, eliciting keens and soft moans from the smaller teen as he writhed beneath him and returned one hand to Riku's hair and the other around Riku's waist to slip under his shirt and gently claw at his lower back. By the time he fully encased Sora's right nipple in his mouth and began sucking, the helpless teen was writhing and bucking his hips into Riku's while he called out his name. The feeling of the sensitive nub hardening beneath his tongue further intoxicated the silverette and he dragged his lips to the other to give it the same treatment as his own spine shuddered while Sora dragged his fingers up and down his back, just edging the symbol etched there.

"Riku! Please! It's too much!" Sora begged as he suddenly pulled Riku close to him in an iron-clad grip.

Riku thought he almost broke his nose with the force of Sora's clinging and as the other fully wrapped his legs around his waist in a desperate koala cling, he could feel the other's hardness straining at max capacity pressed hard against his own. Carefully he slipped his hands out to run them soothingly through Sora's hair as the teen trembled violently in his grasp. "Shhhh...it's okay..." he whispered.

"N-no!" the brunette gasped. "I mean I'm--Aah!!"

Suddenly the cave started rumbling and shaking and Riku could feel something wet against his skin, specifically in his lap. Flashes of moonlight filled his vision, then the cave, then the bedroom, cave again, and then the bedroom. He clenched his eyes closed as he felt the feeling of falling drop in his stomach and once he opened his eyes again, his body was still being shaken but he was back in bed with Sora whose eyes were still closed, but his body was very VERY busy.

When Sora awoke, he could feel Riku's arousal pressed against his own beneath the sheets. Their legs were already entangled and Riku's grip on him was so strong, he couldn't help bucking into him. He could feel they were already both dripping wet and he was driven by the absolute NEED to finish. "Riku...Riku..." he quietly moaned the other's name as he reached down to grab them both. "Please...Riku..."

"S-Sora!" Riku gasped and adjusted his grip, cradling Sora's head with one hand while gripping the other's bucking hip. Together they formed a messy rhythm and moaned quietly as they bucked into each other, sliding and grinding until the friction brought them both to completion, each gripping each other tightly as they rode it out and did their best to muffle their cries of ecstasy by moaning into each other, Sora into Riku's chest and Riku into Sora's hair. As their lengths throbbed and left behind a sticky mess, both brought their lips together and shared soft kisses until both their bodies stopped trembling and they were left with nothing but heavy limbs and the sounds of their soft breathing and pounding hearts ringing in their ears.

By the time the impromptu storm of their passion calmed, the sweat and evidence of their pleasure was already beginning to cool on their bodies and Sora was finally able to speak. "Probably need another shower," he mumbled sheepishly into Riku's chest while he gripped the other's bicep with embarrassment.

"Probably would be best, yeah," Riku agreed and ripped the sheet off the both of them in one deft movement before scooching off the bed with Sora and carrying him to the bathroom to clean up.

Thanks to Riku's maneuvering, they somehow avoided dirtying the sheets so once they cleaned up, they were able to crawl back into bed, though the musky scent was still very present. Neither minded though as they pulled each other close and fell back asleep rather quickly, barely even registering what had just happened.

The next morning, Sora awoke to find his hair was still slightly damp as well as his bandages here and there, but he wasn't cold as Riku's body heat alone was more than enough for the both of them. It took him a minute to wrap his brain around it, but as soon as he recalled everything, his face immediately turned red and he groaned into the taller male's chest who rubbed his back soothingly because he assumed he was complaining about having to wake up. At the affectionate rubbing Sora mumbled a, "Good morning," while still trying to hide his face.

"Good morning," Riku yawned and let go of Sora so he could stretch his arms above his head and pop his spine before wrapping them back around him. "Did you sleep well?"

"Y-yeah," Sora squeaked but then cleared his throat before answering again, "I mean, yeah, I guess so."

Riku chuckled and ran a hand through Sora's hair before pressing a gentle kiss to Sora's forehead. "Wanna get up?"

"Sure," Sora yawned and sat up, his stomach already growling once he completed the motion. "Oh right, I'm supposed to text Kairi when we wake up, right?"

"Yeah, but at least wait until I get some clothes on," Riku insisted. "Or she'll just spring right in here."

Sora snorted, "I'm sure she'd knock first. She's not like...well..."

"Not like you?" Riku finished for him as he pulled on a fresh set of boxers and grabbed his pants.

"I walk in on you ONE time!"

"Try many times!" Riku laughed as he pulled his shirt over his head and grabbed the safety scissors so he could start clipping off Sora's old bandages. "I guess we should leave you unwrapped, huh?"

"Yeah, guess so," he shrugged and grabbed a pair of shorts for himself before assisting in making the bed and lying back down on it so he could text Kairi. "This is still so weird for me," he admitted. "I mean I'm used to you doing stuff NOW, but I still can't wrap my head around the fact that all of you have probably seen me mostly naked by now."

"Only Roxas and I have seen you naked," Riku corrected. "The others haven't seen more than what they normally would have if you were wearing a bathing suit at the beach."

"Fine, still can't wrap my head around the fact that I've been TOUCHED while being mostly naked," Sora elaborated.

"You have nothing to be embarrassed about, Sora," Riku insisted. "Besides, the only thing on anybody's mind was to help you get better."

"I know...and I appreciate it, I really do. But I dunno...maybe I'm the only one making it weird?"

"Haha, no...trust me it was weird for all of us for a little while too. But we just pushed through it. I guess the strategy was to just not think about it. If you had been awake, I'm sure it would've been much more awkward, but I guess with you being asleep it was a lot easier. It didn't feel like we were intruding, more like it reaffirmed that we were helping a friend who couldn't help himself."

"Like a dress-up doll?" Sora snorted.

"Nooooo, not like that. Well, maybe to Roxas," he laughed. "But don't worry, Kairi didn't let him take any pictures."

"WHAT!?"

A knock on the door interrupted their conversation. "Kairi didn't do what now?"

Sora laughed, "Nothing, come in!"

Kairi came in all dressed with a white lab coat on over her usual clothes, "Good morning, you two!"

"Good morning," Riku greeted. "I was just telling Sora about Roxas messing with him when he was asleep."

"Yeah, but what's a little face paint between friends?" Kairi giggled.

"Face paint!?"

"Don't worry, I told him it was in bad taste to take pictures."

"It's in bad taste to do any of that at all!"

Riku laughed, "Oh like you wouldn't have done the same thing after a while."

"Fair point," Sora grinned.

"Anyway, you ready?" Kairi asked as she heaved her bag onto the bed.

"Ready as I'll ever be, I guess."

"Okay! On your stomach, then!" Kairi instructed as she started pulling out the towels and cups.

Since the bed was much bigger this time, Kairi was able to kneel next to Sora to get the job done. For a few minutes, there was only the sounds of Sora moaning into the pillow and the pop pop popping of the glass jars as they were applied and pulled off his back and legs. Once Kairi got to the back of Sora's right leg, she noticed something, "Sora, your right leg is a little more swollen than the other."

"It is?" Sora asked as he lifted his head from the pillow.

Riku pulled out his phone and opened the chart he had linked as a shortcut on his home screen. "That would make sense. He still has a crystal lodged in there. And one in his left wrist too."

"Does your left wrist hurt, Sora?" Kairi asked.

"It feels stiff, but Riku's been doing a good job keeping it bandaged," Sora explained as he pulled it out from under the pillow to flex his fingers. Though when he actually looked down at it, he noticed there was an angry-looking pattern of purple lines spanning his wrist and his whole forearm. "That's weird. I guess I haven't had a good look lately."

Kairi checked her chart from her bag and flipped through her notes. "Is this right? You haven't removed a crystal in three and a half weeks?"

"Yeah, it's right," Riku confirmed solemnly. "To be honest, I was worried that one might pop out at Sora's party."

"Yeah, I was kind of worried too," Sora admitted.

"Why would you be worried?" Kairi asked. "Don't you WANT them to come out?"

"Well of course, but..." Sora fumbled with the proper words.

"The small ones shoot out like rockets and the big ones take a long time and tend to be extremely painful. Neither of which would have been a fun time," Riku finished for him.

"Like rockets?" Kairi laughed. "I kind of wish I could see it for myself."

"Well, you never know," Sora laughed, "Maybe one will pop out while we're in the lab today."

Riku frowned slightly. If it weren't for the fact that Kairi would be there, he would've been more hesitant about Sora visiting the lab. After hanging out with Ansem (as DiZ) for so long, he couldn't help shaking the feeling that Sora would be treated like a guinea pig. "Let's not get ahead of ourselves," he warned gently.

"You're right," Sora agreed. "As they say, a watched pot never boils."

"Ew, boils," Kairi giggled, earning laughter from the other two as well.

"Speaking of the lab, after breakfast, Sora, I was wondering if you wouldn't mind taking your bandages off and wearing this robe for me?" Kairi asked as she pointed at a long white robe sitting on the bed next to her other supplies. "We just wanted to do a scan and stuff to see how you're doing."

"Uh...sure," Sora nodded. At the mention of breakfast, his stomach rumbled angrily, "So what is for breakfast?"

"I'm having it brought to your room so that you wouldn't have to worry about getting lost on the way to the kitchen. Plus, you might be a little tender after this is over," the red head explained as she put the spheres back on for a little longer so as the finally start the process of extracting darkness from his body. "Take a deep breath."

Sora breathed in sharply and buried his face into the pillows again. He could only groan and wriggle as he felt the vile liquid being extracted from his back and the backs of his thighs. "Too much too much!"

"We're almost done," Kairi soothed. "Just 10 more seconds and you'll have a yummy breakfast."

"Nnnnnnhhh..." Sora whined and after ten seconds, Kairi told him to let it all out as she popped them off two at a time. "AAH!"

The view for Riku wasn't much better as his eyebrows got higher and higher watching the cups fill up. He had a feeling there would be a lot, but not so much at once. It was almost too much for the trash can to keep up with and Kairi kept apologizing to it as she tilted the spheres' contents into its waiting mouth. "I'm so sorry. Thank you for your hard work!" Finally she was all done and Riku handed her the towels to wipe the remaining black gunk off of Sora before he was allowed to sit up again.

"Phew, I already feel loads better. Thank you, Kairi!"

"Don't mention it!" Kairi beamed as she toweled her equipment clean and put it away. Another knock on the door meant breakfast had arrived and Riku went to answer it. He thanked the person who delivered it and pushed in the cart ladened with three covered trays of food for them. "Let's eat!" Kairi clapped and tossed the robe to Sora to put on before she brought him his own tray.

Sora obediently put it on just in time before she eagerly shoved the warm, now uncovered, tray into his lap. It appeared to be eggs, pancakes, and two sausage links and it smelled AMAZING! Plus a little carton of orange juice with a bendy straw, which made Sora chuckle for some reason. "I feel like I'm at a resort."

Kairi snickered, "I guess you would. First a birthday party, a room, spa treatment, and now breakfast in bed. You're getting the five star treatment!"

"Yeah, speaking of five star treatment, scoot over, you two," Riku playfully shoved their feet over so he could sit on the bed and eat with them too.

Together, the three of them chatted happily while they enjoyed their breakfast, occasionally pulling out their phones and showing each other the pictures they have taken from the party ("I didn't know Cloud could dance!" Sora exclaimed.). Kairi opened Lea's Kingstagram to show the pictures he took of Xion dancing with Riku and the three of them aww'd at how happy she looked, all three saying "She's so cute." at the same time.

"So how do you feel about Axel and Isa raising your kids, Sora?" Kairi giggled.

"HUH!?" Sora leaned so far to the right he almost fell off the bed. "What do you mean? I don't have any--"

Kairi laughed hysterically, "I'm talking about Roxas, Xion, and Naminé!"

"But they're not my--"

"Aren't they?" Kairi grinned at him.

"That's so weird!"

Riku snorted. "What will your mother think?"

"RIKU!"

"Well think about it!" Kairi egged on. "Roxas is born from you and Ventus. Xion is made of your memories. And Naminé is my nobody but she was born from YOUR body. That's why she was able to mess with your memories."

"W-wait..." Sora sputtered. The other two could practically see the steam coming out of his ears as his brain struggled to process this. "Wait...stop...you're making this weird! I didn't want to think that hard about this! What does that make Vanitas?"

"Well, from what we gathered from Ven, Xehanort extracted Vanitas, his darkness, from his heart before you were even born. He said a newborn heart found him in the darkness and offered him a piece of his heart to make him whole. Once you were born, Sora, your appearance affected how Vanitas looked since part of you filled the void in Ven's heart where he used to reside," Kairi explained.

And THAT was information overload for the poor brunette who flopped back onto the pillows and groaned with his hands over his face, "It's too early for this!"

"But it's important that you know, Sora," Kairi stated matter-of-factly. "How your heart is connected to others could be crucial in figuring out what this Master of Masters is up to."

"Happy Birthday to me, indeed," Sora mumbled.

"Hey, it's not your birthday anymore. Buck up," Riku joked as he poked him in the side.

"HEY!" Sora giggled and swatted at Riku's hand.

"So make sure you take responsibility!" Kairi laughed as she put their empty trays back on the cart and pushed it outside.

"Stop making it weird!" Sora scolded.

"I'm sorry!" Kairi laughed.

"That'd be like me saying Naminé is your daughter!" the brunette stuck his tongue out.

"Hehe, I guess that is funny to think about," Kairi snickered. "Isn't it romantic, Sora? We have a daughter together!"

"KAIRIIIIIIIIIII!!" Sora shouted in disdain and tossed a pillow at her.

"AAH! SORA!" she screeched and picked up the tossed pillow to rush the bed and start fwapping him with it. "THAT'S. NO. WAY. TO. TREAT. THE. MOTHER. OF. YOUR. CHILD!" FWAP FWAP FWAP!

"AAAHHH!! RIKU, HELP ME!!" Sora shouted as he tried to shield himself from Kairi's attacks with another pillow.

Riku just stared at the two of them. "Wait..."

Both ceased their shenanigans to look at him.

"Wouldn't SORA be the mother since Naminé came from his body?"

"RIKU!!!!"

"Oh yeah! So Sora's a mommy!" Kairi cackled.

"OH YOU TWO THINK YOU'RE SO FUNNY!" Sora screamed as he grabbed two pillows by the cases and started duel-wielding them to fwap the both of them, now dragging Riku into their three-way pillow fight.

"Oh it's on!" Riku grabbed another pillow and the three fwapped and bopped until the bed was in complete disarray and each were running out of breath. Finally, Riku tackled Sora down and assaulted him with tickles and had Kairi join in but Sora absolutely REFUSED to give in!

_Do de doooooooo~_

"Hold up, guys! That's probably Ansem," Kairi let go of Sora and hurried over to grab her phone out of her bag. "Hello? Uh-huh. Yeah, we just finished...Alright, we'll be up there shortly." After she hung up, she smoothed out her hair and her disheveled coat. "They're ready for us at the lab."

Riku unpinned Sora and helped him off the bed and Sora slipped on some house slippers after he finished tying up his robe up again. "Do you think I'll get to see Tron while we're there, Kairi?"

"Sure! I don't see why not. I think Ansem's got a new app for your phone, too. We'll see when we get there."

The walk to the lab seemed to take forever, especially since so much of it had been refurbished since Sora was last there that he almost felt a little disoriented. He recognized the study and it certainly looked much more homey than it had before now that there wasn't books and shattered dry wall all over the place. But the entrance to the lab attached to it felt as sterile and industrial as it always did. Despite being here quite a few times, it made Sora feel uneasy now that there were several people in white lab coats everywhere. Ironically the only thing that did put him at ease was the giant red scanner on the far wall that they used to transport to Tron's world whenever they so wished. But where there once used to be a large open space in the center of the lab, there was now a single white-padded lounging chair that resembled a dentist's chair now that Sora thought about it and that just made it feel ten times worse, to the point Sora faltered in the doorway until Riku squeezed his hand reassuringly.

"Good morning, Sora!" Ansem the Wise greeted. "I trust you slept well?"

"Good morning," Sora nodded. "Thank you for your hospitality."

"It's our pleasure," Ienzo smiled. "Before we get started, I was wondering if we could see your gummi phone for a minute?"

"Uh, sure," Sora reached into his pocket and handed it to him and Ienzo waved him over to show him the large computer screen as he hooked up Sora's phone to a cord connected to it.

"We developed an app for your phone so you can directly upload--" he looked at Sora's already lost face. "Basically, this app will let you give information to Tron directly so we can update our data much faster."

"Wait, so...this will let me talk to Tron on my phone?" Sora brightened.

"Exactly!" Ienzo smiled and handed the phone back to Sora. "Try it out."

Sora eagerly hit the application on his home screen and sure enough, there appeared to be a video feed of Tron right in the palm of his hands. "Can he hear me?" Sora asked.

"Loud and clear, Sora!" Tron greeted. "Good morning!"

"Hey, Tron! This is so cool! So...how does it work?"

"Haha, I thought you'd ask. We've debated on how to keep up to date with everything being as busy as it is. But to do that we'd need your help. So they asked me to be the one to help you help us. If you keep me directly updated with all your adventures and your progress, I'll do the rest for you. So you just need to keep me up to date periodically, or just call on me whenever you want. I'm here to assist you."

"Wow! Thanks, Tron!"

"No problem! And now that we're more connected than ever before, you can even summon me to assist you in battle."

"Whaaaaaa--? So, it's like this app thing is a heart binder?"

"I'm not quite sure what that is."

"Don't worry, me neither," Sora laughed. "But this is great! I'm looking forward to working with you, Tron!"

"Same here. I'll let you go for now. Catch you later!"

"Right! See ya!" Sora chuckled and turned off the phone. "Thanks, Ienzo!"

"Not a problem. Like Tron explained, we debated over how to teach you how "to computer" as you put it, and he recommended this approach. Quite astute, I must say," the apprentice chuckled as he took Riku's phone and uploaded the app on his as well.

"Now that that's settled, shall we move on to the reason why you're here?" Ansem suggested. "We wouldn't want to keep you for longer than necessary."

"Right..." Sora nodded and put his phone back into the robe pocket. "What do you need me to do?"

"First, have a seat in the observation chair. Next, I understand you have some samples for me?"

"Right," Riku came forward with the jar full of crystal shards. "You can have all the crystals you want, but I'll need the jar back."

"Very good. Please deposit them in the glass case over there," Ansem pointed to an enclosed glass case with gloves sticking inside of it and Ienzo led him over to open the hatch in the top so Riku could gently dump the contents of the jar inside. After which, the latch was tightly closed and locked.

"Will they be safe in there?" Riku asked.

"It's reinforced acrylic. It should be more than sufficient," Ienzo assured him. "For observation purposes, we can't afford to neutralize them just yet, but don't worry, they shouldn't be able to escape from there."

"Okay," Riku nodded but he still stared at the shards warily where they laid on the padded bottom of the box. He was glad to be rid of them, but he couldn't shake this bad feeling he was getting. When he turned his attention back to Sora, the teen was already disrobed and there was a machine taking photos of his entire body, front and back. He could already see Sora was feeling uncomfortable and walked over to Ansem. "Weren't the pictures I sent already enough?" he asked carefully.

"You did well to keep us updated, yes. But this will ensure we have every injury properly mapped for our research. Should this happen to anybody else, we need all of the data we can get. Gone are the days were we would freely experiment on others, so we must rely on observational data," Ansem answered solemnly. "If it's too much, Sora, please feel free to stop us at any time," he added.

"R-right, it's fine," Sora nodded. He did feel extremely uncomfortable, but he didn't want to say anything. He chose to trust in their intentions and that they meant no harm. After all, if this could help others, the least he could do is put aside his feelings just this once.

As the pictures were taken, they appeared on a large monitor adjacent to the red scanner on the far wall. From there, Sora could see the full extent of his injuries in high definition and in the bright lighting, it was very startling to see how he looked. The purple lines mapped all over his body stood out much more and the different tones of the scarring on his chest looked practically unreal, especially as some of it was still raw enough that it reflected the flash from the camera, which resulted in another flash-less photograph that showed how red it looked. Now that he was looking at his entire body, he could see the subtle swelling in his leg that Kairi had mentioned from this morning. When the pictures of his back came up, his jaw nearly dropped as the pictures highlighted every white scar and every blue and purple vein-like line radiating all down his back and even up his shoulders and the back of his neck. He couldn't even hold back a gasp as he saw how bad his lower back looked and put his hand over his mouth as he struggled to hold back a sob. Riku had shown him the pictures but he didn't think it looked THAT bad before.

Riku felt his heart break as he saw the quivering in Sora's eyes and even looked to see that Kairi's were getting glassy with tears. "I think that's enough," he said darkly to Ansem.

"Quite right," Ansem agreed. "We'll proceed with the scan for now. Is that okay, Sora?"

"Uh yeah. Yeah," Sora cleared his throat and wiped his nose on the back of his hand as he climbed back onto the table and another machine lowered from the ceiling. Kairi hurried over with a pair of red goggles for him so the laser wouldn't blind him and told him to lie perfectly still before she retreated and let the machine do its thing. Ansem called for everybody to stand back before he hit a button on the control panel and a row of red lasers emitted from the machine and raked over Sora's body several times as it scanned every inch of him from head to toe. In order to sit still, Sora closed his eyes and waited patiently as he tried not to think of everybody watching him and just tried to think of it like how Baymax scanned him earlier. If he had it his way, he'd rather have Baymax do this scan. At least the squishy robot would've given him a hug afterwards. But with the silence, he could hear the sounds of the lasers and his heart began to race at the familiar sound. His brow furrowed as he tried to block out the sound, but he kept hearing it and his mind raced as he fought the instinct telling him to block or dodge. Now he could hear it. He could hear that monster's voice! _Heads up!_

The screen on the console started beeping as it detected Sora's elevating heart rate through the scanner and that only heightened Sora's anxiety, his hands now gripping the table as he struggled to hold still.

"Sora?" Ansem asked.

"I'm fine!" Sora snapped.

"Maybe we should stop," Kairi suggested kindly.

"NO! I'm fine!" Sora insisted as he breathed hard. "Just hurry up and finish."

Riku heard a clink clinking noise and turned to see the crystals in the glass case wriggling and tapping against the acrylic window. "No, we need to stop!"

"We only need to sweep two more times," Ienzo insisted. "We're almost done. Just ten more seconds, Sora."

Sora began to feel like he couldn't breathe. After Kairi had treated him, his pain was down to a four but now it was quickly elevating to a seven as his anxiety grew worse and worse. Now hearing the worried tone in Riku's voice was only adding to it. Something in him felt like it was scraping at his insides, stabbing him from under his skin like tiny little nails eager to pop out of him. He didn't even hear Riku's voice when the scan was over and nearly jumped out of his skin when Ienzo ran over to check his vitals. "DON'T TOUCH ME!" Sora flinched so hard when Ienzo touched his left wrist that he nearly tumbled off the table, but Riku was on his other side to catch him and he sat up to cling to the taller male and bury his face into his neck, completely knocking off the goggles which cracked as they hit the floor.

"I'm so sorry!" Ienzo apologized, but Riku waved him off.

"It's not your fault," Riku explained as he rubbed Sora's back to calm him. "I think the lasers got to him. Right, Sora?"

Sora nodded into Riku's chest and refused to look at anybody, now feeling embarrassed as he began to calm down. "'m sorry," he mumbled.

"Don't be sorry, Sora," Kairi said softly as she brought his robe back and draped it over his shoulders. "It's not your fault."

"Quite right," Ansem agreed as he walked over to the case with the shards in it that have now settled back down. "It appears that they respond to your distress and negative emotions. I dare say they even amplify them so that they may feed off of it."

"It's true," Riku agreed. "When we were in Arendelle, when things were really bad, Sora didn't act like himself at all. While it's perfectly natural for him to be angry or frightened, it would get ten times worse at the drop of a hat and he would act very irrationally until he wore himself out."

"I still feel bad about that," Sora mumbled.

"And I told you that it's fine," Riku answered back with a smile.

"Whenever that happens, you need to be vigilant about wearing your protective plate, Sora. You're already a walking magnet for heartless and I can only imagine how much more attracted they'll be to you if you're radiating that much darkness when you're distressed," Ansem warned.

"Right...we kinda figured that out already," Sora nodded and finally started separating from Riku, but the elder teen took his trembling hand and held it, which made Sora smile gratefully.

"The data is ready," Ienzo pulled out a tablet and touched a few things so that the images appeared on screen. "Good work, Sora."

Everybody turned their attention to the back screen and it was very similar to the readout that Baymax provided, which Ienzo also put on screen for a side-by-side comparison. What surprised them was how much the crystals that were left in Sora's body had moved.

"Just what IS your current pain level, Sora?" Ienzo asked as even he stared at the screen in amazement.

"Today? I guess when Kairi helped me this morning, it was at a four. But a minute ago, it went to seven really fast. And now that I'm back at four," Sora answered. "Lately I've been bordering a five or six, but without Riku around it feels much worse."

"How much worse?" Ansem asked.

"I don't know. It's been a while since we've been apart," Sora admitted. "Maybe eight or nine on the worst days? My ten is reserved for the pain I felt when I woke up that one time."

"Oh yeah, those were bad," Kairi nodded. "Especially since you weren't used to it yet. On your worst days, you might STILL be at a ten, but now you're more used to it."

"Yeah, that could be," Sora agreed.

"Which is why Riku's reports have been vital to keeping track of your progress," Ansem added with an approving smile in Riku's direction.

"But Master, why does Sora's pain reduce so drastically when he's around Riku?" Ienzo asked.

"Because the light in Riku's heart is so strong that the shadows bow to his will," the wise man answered. "The darkness fears Riku. And the bond he has with Sora amplifies Sora's own light which keeps the darkness at bay and dare I say, even helps him expel it. While Kairi's light helps with the extraction of pent-up darkness, it appears that light from within is what's needed to expel the crystals currently producing the darkness that continues to plague Sora."

"That...makes a lot of sense. We observed similar data when we studied the two of them in Castle Oblivion."

"Huh?" Sora asked.

"Never mind," Ienzo smiled. "But back to your scans, they're um...how would you put it?"

"A clusterfuck," Kairi stated, earning identical looks of surprise from the other four.

"Kairi said a swear!" Sora gasped. "Did anybody get that on camera?"

"Well how would YOU describe it?" Kairi huffed.

Riku scratched his cheek, "Um...a mess?"

"Very concerning," Ansem offered.

"My new normal," Sora grumbled.

Baymax's scan had shown there to be 23 crystals in Sora's body, but according to the new scan there appeared to be twelve. This should have been good news, however just as they feared, it appeared some have merely clustered together to form much bigger and more gnarly-looking crystals while leaving veins of darkness behind in their wake. One was in his right leg and one was in his left wrist. That was a given. Unfortunately those two seem to have grown in size compared to the scan that Baymax provided. The seven that were in Sora's lower back have already been confirmed to have clustered together and now there appeared to be two much larger crystals there instead (one small cluster was removed in Arendelle). One was in his left shoulder blade, two were in his right shoulder blade area, two more were at the top of his spine, and three were in the middle. It was very clear when they overlapped the two scans that all of them have been moving and they appeared to be moving more and more towards Sora's actual heart while leaving behind dark lines from where they had been before. Their progress is slow, having only moved maybe one or two inches at the most, but needless to say it was alarming. The bigger ones looked pretty much stuck where they were in Sora's lower back and were much more grotesque in shape. As Sora noticed these, he was already imagining how awful it's going to be to shove those out when the time comes if the one that came out of his left leg in Arendelle was any indication.

Ansem looked gravely at the data and then looked to Sora and Riku who still couldn't peel their eyes from the screen. He looked to Kairi who locked eyes with him knowingly and bit her bottom lip as she understood what he was about to ask next. "Sora, if you're willing, I believe one more test should be in order."

Sora looked at him, "What else is there?"

"Given the proximity of the crystals to your heart, it would be vital to know how stable you are without Riku around. Or at the very least, we should test the range the two of you have before it becomes unbearable. Such information could be of use to you in combat."

"Ansem..." Riku growled.

"No, he's right, Riku," Sora looked to him. "We should test the limit and make sure we take steps to make sure nothing gets between us. The chest plate can only protect me from so much. And besides, I kind of want to know, too."

"I don't like the sound of it. It sounds unnecessary. If I stay by him, he should be fine," Riku insisted.

"Riku, we'll make sure he's as safe as possible. We'll stay on the gummi phone with you the entire time," Kairi added. "Please, you need all the information you two can get so you can truly be ready for anything."

Riku clenched his fists, almost squeezing Sora's hand a little too hard. "And...you're sure you're okay with this, Sora?"

Sora nodded, "I am scared. But I know why we have to try. That's enough for me."

"Alright...so how are we going to do this?" Riku asked.

Sora was taken to a padded observation room completely devoid of furniture with a one way mirror. In one corner of the room was another smaller scanner to keep an eye on his vitals with an additional camera to take footage and time stamps. Kairi called Riku's gummi phone and told him to just start walking and the tracker they put on his phone will measure the distance he puts between him and Sora. Then the Tron app will automatically keep things updated on the other end so that they have the data. No matter how scientific they made it all sound, Riku still felt like it was just an excuse for Ansem to needlessly cause Sora pain to sate his curiosity and he didn't like it one bit. To ease his own worries, he decided the first thing he was going to do was walk back to the room they were given and retrieve Sora's music box, just in case.

Once Riku was given the go ahead, Sora gave him a little wave and watched him leave through the padded door which was locked behind him. "Guess I'll get comfortable then?" he asked the one way glass.

Kairi giggled through the intercom speaker, "Sure, do whatever you want, Sora. You're doing great. Riku, he's fine. You're barely even out of the lab. Keep going!"

Sora chuckled as he heard the intercom click off and settled on a spot in the middle of the padded floor. _Now THIS would be an interesting place to have a pillow fight._ He snickered to himself as he pulled his ankles up to sit cross-legged, but then he started to feel sore and quickly uncrossed them. He found it was already getting harder and harder to sit comfortably. "How far is he?" Sora asked.

"Sorry, Sora, we can't tell you," Kairi answered through the intercom. "We don't want the knowledge to affect the results of the experiment."

"Oh...okay?" Sora shrugged and sat back with his legs straight out while he propped himself up with his hands behind himself. He knows it's only been a couple of minutes, but he was already starting to get impatient, antsy, even. He was even starting to get a prickly feeling in his legs, like they were falling asleep so he stood up and started pacing around. As he started pacing the length of the room, he felt his left wrist get itchy and his right knee getting sore. He didn't like this. He could already feel something's not right, but he knows through his bond with Riku that the elder male wasn't even that far away!

"Sora, are you alright?" Ienzo asked through the mic which interrupted Sora's concentration.

"I don't want to talk!" Sora snapped, surprising himself at how harsh he sounded, "I mean...I'm sorry."

"It's alright, Sora," Ienzo assured him. "We'll check up on you in a minute."

"Right..." Sora mumbled as he rubbed his left wrist. He could feel that Riku was very slowly moving away which started to irritate Sora as it felt like he was dragging this out much more than he needed to. "Just warp somewhere already," he grumbled quietly.

The teen continued his pacing, counting the steps it took to get from one wall to the other. It took him eight steps each way. He tried to measure it from foot to foot, but his right leg started throbbing and he found it harder to keep upright when he attempted to walk toe to heel. Soon his lower back started throbbing more than ever and his shoulders were starting to ache. "It hasn't even been 5 minutes!" he shouted at the ceiling and slammed his right fist into the wall in frustration. "COME ON!"

"Sora?" Ansem's voice rang through the intercom.

"SHUT UP, I'M FINE!" Sora spat and he glared at the glass until he heard the click of the intercom shutting off. After which he resumed his pacing while he raked his hands through his own hair. "I'm losing it. I'm losing it. Keep it together, Sora!" he grumbled angrily at himself. "Okay okay, deep breaths. Come on, you can do this!" he tried to calm himself with some deep breathing as he walked but it did little to calm his worsening mood. Instead, as the pain slowly crept to a five, panic and worry started to set in and he could hear the machine in the ceiling doing a quick scan of his elevating heart rate.

"It hasn't been this bad before," he mumbled out loud. "He's still in the same world. Why does this feel so much worse than before? I should be getting better! I _was_ feeling better. Then why???"

"Sora?" Kairi's voice rang through the intercom.

"Kairi!" Sora looked up towards the window, tears already streaming down his face. His pain was at a seven, but that's not what was upsetting him. "Kairi, what'll I do without him? Am I useless without Riku?"

"That's not true, Sora!" Kairi assured him.

"I'm scared, Kairi!" Sora cried as he started breathing harder. "This doesn't feel right!"

"Do you want to stop?" she asked.

"No, not yet. I can go on, I need to know..." he wiped the tears from his face on the back of his robe. "But let the record show that I am NOT enjoying this."

"Noted," Kairi stifled a laugh.

"It's okay, you can laugh, I was trying to be funny," Sora laughed but it had a hint of bitterness to it.

"Very cute, Sora," Kairi chuckled. "You're doing great, just hang in there."

Sora looked at the glass again where he assumed Ienzo and Ansem might be standing, "Hear that, she says I'm cute," he snickered as he resumed his pacing and used his right hand to rub where his scar was starting to itch. He didn't dare scratch the delicate flesh, knowing dark gunk would leak from him if he did but it was getting harder and harder not to. Suddenly more pain radiated from his back and he fell to his knees. He was definitely at an eight now, his nails digging into the padding on the floor as he resisted the urge to curl up into a ball. All over, spikes of pain started shooting up from everywhere at once. His whole body began to tremble as it continued to get worse. His heart ached and the pain felt sharper and sharper. He wanted to scream but he couldn't even breathe! It's too much! It's too much!

"Breathe, Sora!" Ansem's voice called from the intercom.

"SHUT UP!!!" Sora screamed and lunged at the glass, slamming both fists into it just as his heart escaped his body and in a flash, his skin turned black and his eyes became yellow orbs.

. . . .

Riku already felt something pulling him back by the time he made the short walk to the bedroom, but Kairi insisted that Sora was still doing fine, if not a little more snippy. He could even feel Sora feeling for him and that made him feel a little better as he retrieved the music box from Sora's pants and started walking again. He was told to keep a slow pace so they could figure out the exact threshold of Sora's pain, otherwise he could just warp somewhere and be done with it. He already had a feeling Sora shared the same sentiment as he started sensing irritation and aggravation leaking through their connection. But he pushed on. It didn't exactly help that he wasn't entirely sure where he was going and he figured using the elevators was cheating so he opted for walking in a straight line for as long as he could until he had to find another door or something. Somehow he managed to make it out the front gate and he could hear Kairi on the phone talking to Sora over the intercom. It was kind of garbled, but he heard the words, "I'm scared" and Riku froze in his tracks.

"Sora..." he whispered as he clenched the phone in his fist. "I hate this. I don't want to do this anymore."

Kairi must have noticed that Riku stopped moving because she scolded him over the phone, "It's okay, Riku. He just made a joke. You can keep going."

"Alright," Riku answered and resumed walking. Though he knew that just because Sora was joking didn't mean he was okay. If anything it could mean things are actually incredibly bad. "If there was any time to be honest about the pain you're feeling, Sora, this would be it."

"I hate this," Riku grumbled again as he shoved the gate open. "If this ruins Sora's confidence, I'll never forgive them." He tried to keep his head clear as he steadily walked towards the landing pad where the gummi ship was parked. "This shouldn't be necessary. I promised Sora I won't ever leave his side and I won't! What happened at Arendelle won't happen again. We promised each other..." he growled to himself but then his mind flashed back to when the cloaked man grabbed Sora and lifted him in the air. That was way too close of a call. The memory brought bile up the back of his throat and he swallowed hard as he shoved the memory away. "I won't let it happen again."

As he reached the gummi ship, he leaned against the hull and sighed, "But if that's the case, then what the hell am I doing all the way out here?" He reached out to Sora as if to ask him the same question but just now realized he couldn't feel anything which made his eyes grow wide.

"Riku!!" Kairi shouted over the phone.

"What is it? Do you need me to come back?"

"It's Sora! He's changed forms!"

"Oh great!" Riku bolted back towards the castle. "Hang on, I'm coming!" _I knew it! Hang on, Sora!_ "Put the phone up to the intercom!"

"It wouldn't do any good! He's busted the intercom!" Kairi shouted back.

"He what!?" Riku cried out in disbelief. "Don't let anybody go in that room!" he instructed.

"You don't have to worry about that!" Kairi answered back while banging and slapping noises rang in the background.

"Oh he sounds REAL happy," Riku huffed as started using flow motion to dash back much quicker. "What did you do?"

"It wasn't me! He just got really cranky really fast!" the redhead insisted. "Hurry up and get your butt over here!"

"I'm going as fast as I can!" the silverette growled through gritted teeth. "This place is a maze!"

"Oh yeah, it probably would've helped if we sent Dilan with you."

"YA THINK!?" Riku snapped.

"Hey, no need to get snippy!"

"You're on notice, Kairi!"

"Be mad later!"

"FINE!" Riku huffed and hung up, stuffing the phone in his pocket so he could focus on where the hell he was running.

As he got closer, he could feel the walls shaking and knew he was in for it. Finally he arrived back at the lab where Ienzo and Ansem were way too calm for his liking while Kairi wrung her hands in worry. He looked at the glass to see Sora had completely trashed the room and attempted to rip the censor from the ceiling but couldn't penetrate the acrylic casing. So instead it appeared he opted for tearing the intercom out of the wall and shredding the stuffing as he tried to find a way out.

"What the hell happened? I didn't think he'd be this destructive if there aren't heartless around!" Riku gasped.

"I know, I don't understand it either. Then again, he did try to bust his way out of your house before Merlin teleported us to King Mickey's castle that one time," Kairi added. 

"He has markings similar to a Neo Shadow," Ansem observed. "Very intriguing."

Sora SLAMMED his body against the window, startling Kairi so much that she let out a tiny cry. "You better get in there before he hurts himself."

"Right," Ienzo agreed. "I'm unlocking the door now."

Riku ran for the door and swung it open. As soon as he entered the room, he tackled Sora to the ground so that he wouldn't escape while the door behind him snapped shut and locked. "Sora! You gotta calm down!"

Sora was not too pleased about being body slammed and by pure instinct he wriggled to fight off Riku, but the practiced male already had him pinned down by his wrists and his knees in Sora's hips.

"It's okay, Sora! I'm here!" Riku shouted as he fought to keep Sora from bucking him off. "I'm here!" At hearing Riku's seemingly distressed cries, the dark figure calmed down significantly and stared up at Riku. Riku stared back at the alarming eyes and could only smile as he felt Sora slacken beneath him, "See? It's okay." The pinned figure seemed to sigh as it closed its eyes and the keyblade master saw a flash of red that forced him to blink. When he next opened his eyes, Sora was back to normal.

"You're heavy, Riku!" the brunette complained.

"Welcome back," Riku chuckled and got off of him to pull him up. When he stood up, he looked around to see the room was completely back to normal. "What the...?"

Sora stood and brushed himself off. "So how far did I make it?"

"Uh...?" he turned to the one-way mirror to ask. "How far did I go, Kairi?"

It took a second for anybody to respond. No doubt everybody was still recovering from the shock. "About 300 yards."

"That's it!?" Sora asked and groaned. "That's terrible!"

"Guess you're stuck with me," Riku smirked as he pulled Sora into a tight hug.

"Guess so," Sora giggled as he returned the embrace and buried his face into Riku's chest. "But I knew that already."


	35. Happy Endings, New Beginnings

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The experiments continue. Sora decides he's had enough and the two leave for Twilight Town on a little detour before the wedding.

After Sora had a break, they repeated the experiments. Since the brunette was forced to go into Rage mode, he was able to burn off a small amount of pent-up dark energy but without a target to lash out at, he didn't burn off much. The most he was able to achieve was an even 310 yards before it became too much and he called for Riku to come back before he transformed again. Then there were two more times where they tested longevity versus distance where they had Riku walk 100 yards away and just waited to see if Sora's pain got worse the longer he waited or stayed the same. Unfortunately, it turned out Sora's pain DID increase the longer Riku was away. So time AND distance turned out to be major factors which did not improve either keyblader's mood by the time all was said and done. In fact, Sora was so down, he wasn't even sure he wanted to stay another night, even though the sun was already starting to set.

To make it up to them, Kairi made dinner herself, a lovely meal of chicken and fried rice which the three shared in Riku and Sora's room again as Ansem and his other apprentices preferred eating in the lab so they could get more work done. Riku may have been steamed about the whole thing, but Sora couldn't bring himself to be mad. This was useful information to know. But he did feel like the whole thing was just reaffirming stuff that he and Riku had already figured out for themselves.

"Are you sure you don't want to stay another night?" Kairi asked sadly.

"I'm sorry, Kairi," Sora looked at her with an apologetic smile, "But this place is starting to give me the creeps." After he got his clothes back on, Sora had opted to put on his armor immediately because after everything that had happened, he was legitimately afraid of attracting too much attention with the dark energy that was now radiating from his body. It was so bad, it seemed to be even affecting Riku's mood because although he expected Riku to be cranky, neither expected Riku to be THIS cranky.

"You don't need to apologize, Sora. I'm not liking it here too much either," Riku grumbled.

Kairi smiled at the both of them, "But you'll visit again, right?"

"Well of course. We have to," the silverette answered. "But even with a fresh coat of paint, this place gives me bad vibes. I don't know how you can stand it, Kairi."

"It's because I want to help," she said simply.

"You're doing a great job, Kairi," Sora assured her.

"Are you still mad, Riku?" the redhead asked gently.

"I'm frustrated," he stated bluntly. "But I'm not mad, not anymore."

Kairi smiled and leaned over to give him a hug, which he awkwardly returned with one hand while holding his food out of reach with the other. "We'll all be able to go home soon. I know it."

"Right," Sora nodded. "And then all three of us can have a vacation."

"On our own private island?" Kairi giggled.

"Private island?" Riku asked.

"Sora and I were talking about it when he rescued me, about all three of us getting a vacation. But we couldn't decide what to name our own private island."

"Hmmm...Riku Island," the silverette joked.

"HA!" Sora scoffed. "Why should we name the island after you?"

"Cuz I'm always carrying the both of you," Riku smirked.

"Very funny, Riku!!" Kairi huffed, but then the three of them burst into laughter.

After dinner, the keyblade duo said their good-byes and thanked everybody at the lab before hopping on the gummi ship and taking off. Once they'd taken flight, Sora felt like he could breathe better and sunk into his chair like he was melting. "I'm so glad to be out of there."

"Same," Riku agreed as he adjusted the speed. "So where are we going next?"

"Twilight Town, right? We could spend the night there. Besides, I've been thinking I want to check out one of the clothing shops," Sora admitted while he twiddled his thumbs.

"Why's that? We can always go home and pick up some clothes if you want?"

"It's just that...with Ariel's wedding tomorrow, I don't think I should show up without...being covered," Sora mumbled.

If the gummi ship had brakes, Riku would've slammed them. Hearing Sora's distress over how he looked was just NOT okay. With as much control as he could muster, he sighed and input Twilight Town as their heading so he could put it on auto-pilot before he got out of the captain's chair to kneel in front of Sora.

The brunette saw Riku move and turned his face to the side, already feeling bad for even mentioning his insecurity when they have so many other things to worry about. "Forget I said anything..."

Riku wasn't having it and gently cupped both Sora's cheeks in his hands, "Sora, look at me."

The younger teen didn't even have to turn his eyes forward to know the look Riku was giving him; that soft, intense look that he loved so much. A look so full of affection and concern that just imagining it prematurely made tears well up in his eyes. When he did look at him, they were already threatening to flow. "Riku..." he sobbed as he covered Riku's warm hands with his own.

"You're beautiful, Sora," Riku softly smiled as he rubbed Sora's tears away with his thumbs.

"I just don't want to be stared at. Tomorrow should be all about our friend Ariel. I don't want anybody looking at me like everybody did today," he sniffled.

"Don't give those pictures a second thought, Sora. Nobody would've looked good beneath all that lighting. It makes all your pores visible!"

Sora chuckled and then built up to full-blown laughter. "Y-you really mean it?"

"Of course!" Riku chuckled and kissed him on the forehead. "Didn't you see all their badge pictures? Hideous."

"Hahahaa!" the brunette doubled over laughing. Just the way Riku said it had him in stitches. "Thanks, Riku. But seriously...I think I should wear a shirt."

"If that's what you want," Riku smiled.

"Oh...and Riku..."

"Yeah?"

"You're pretty too."

"And there it is," Riku scoffed and returned to his seat with a huge blush staining his cheeks.

"I mean it!" Sora giggled.

"Uh-huh. Yup. Bring on the throwbacks."

"I really do appreciate it, Riku!"

"Shut up and put on your seatbelt!" Riku blushed furiously and turned on the thrusters so they could get to Twilight Town faster!

After they landed, the first thing they did was cash in all of Riku's post cards before the shop closed. The keyblade master won big time with upgrade materials GALORE so they took the time to get their keyblades worked on. It didn't take too long for Braveheart to be maxed out, but when Riku offered some materials to Sora, he couldn't decide which one he wanted to pick. By the time he untangled all of his keychains, the moogle was getting impatient and closed the shop for the night with a huff.

"We can come back tomorrow," Riku laughed.

Sora groaned in disappointment as he stuffed every keychain back into his pocket. "And I was going to decide on Metal Chocobo too!"

"Wouldn't that be too heavy for you right now?"

"Should I have upgraded the keyblade mickey gave me?"

"I mean it's up to you."

"Urgh...never mind. It looks like the other shops are closing. So where should we stay tonight?"

"Maybe we could give Axel a call?" Riku suggested and pulled out his phone, his fingers brushing against something else in his pocket. "Sorry, I meant to give this back to you," he mumbled as he handed Sora back his music box.

"Aww, Riku~" Sora gushed as he took back the small black box now warmed from Riku's body heat. He held it in his hands fondly before putting it back into his pocket while Riku busied himself with calling Axel's number.

"Hey, Axel, Sora and I are in town for the night. Mm-hmm...yup. Mind if we crash at the mansion? Great. We'll be there in a bit," Riku quickly disconnected the call and gave Sora a thumbs up. "Easy."

"Great! But ugh...do we have to go through the sewers?" Sora groaned.

"Nah, we can warp. Let's go."

"Sweet!"

When they arrived at the mansion, they were both surprised to see Roxas was the one to greet them at the door who already looked like he was dressed for bed. "Hey guys!"

"Roxas!" Sora gasped, "What are you doing here?"

"I live here, don't I?" Roxas laughed. "What are YOU doing here?"

"We just stopped by in town and asked Axel if we could stay the night," Sora explained.

The blonde looked at Riku standing behind Sora and gave a mischievous grin, "Awesome! Come in!" With a quick yank, he pulled Sora inside and closed the door right in Riku's face.

Riku stood there stunned and just waited. "Seriously?" He crossed his arms and rolled his eyes as he heard Sora yell "Roxas!?" from behind the large wooden door.

It didn't take more than five seconds before the rowdy teen opened the door again. "Come on in, Riku. I'm just messing with you."

"Thanks," Riku smirked and walked inside, but not without giving Roxas a small playful shove.

Even though Axel told them they could stay, he wasn't exactly around to play host, and neither was Isa, apparently. So Roxas was the one to offer them a snack and drinks while they figured out the sleeping situation amongst themselves.

"I thought you were training in the Land of Departure with everybody else, Roxas?" Sora asked while he nibbled on a chocolate chip cookie.

"I was, but I had to come back for some extra tutoring for school. I'm actually going back tomorrow," the blonde explained while he sipped on a glass of warm milk. "What brought you two here?"

"Just a little shopping before we leave tomorrow," Riku explained. He opted for a peanut butter cookie which definitely needed some milk to go with it.

"Oh yeah? Where you headed?"

"We're attending Princess Ariel's wedding in Atlantica. But I wanted to grab something to wear," Sora answered.

"Wanna raid my closet?" Roxas offered as he bit into another cookie. "The girls have dragged me to a lot of shopping trips lately. Maybe you'll find something you like."

"Sure, I'll take a look. Thanks!"

Roxas smile broadly and went to take another bite of his cookie when he noticed Sora's eyelids were looking a little puffy, "Sora...have you been crying?"

"N-no!"

"You have!" he glared darkly at Riku. "What did you do?"

"ME!?"

"It wasn't him, Roxas. I'm fine, I promise," Sora tried to laugh it off. "Something happened when we were at the lab today. Just shook me up is all."

Roxas sighed and put another cookie on Sora's plate. "You're going to have to tell me about it later so I'll know whose ass to kick."

"Ansem the Wise," Riku huffed with his chin in his hand.

"Of course," Roxas's look grew darker.

"Oh stop, you two!" Sora chuckled nervously. "It wasn't anybody's fault."

Roxas looked at Riku, "We attack at dawn."

"I SAID STOP!" Sora flailed.

"Fine, fine, I'll stop. For now," he loudly sipped his milk. "So I think it's best if you both crash in my room. Sora can sleep with me and Riku can have the guest cot on the floor."

"What, you don't have any other rooms open?" Riku asked.

"The only other guest room is next to Isa and Axel's room and uh...they've been going at it for a while."

"Oh," Riku nodded in understanding. "Floor is fine, then."

"Great!" Roxas finished off his milk and wiped off his milk mustache. "Shall we then? It's already getting kinda late."

"How can you tell?" Sora asked.

"We have clocks," Roxas answered bluntly.

Roxas's bedroom looked very similar to the bedroom he had in the "other" Twilight Town but a little messier as it was very clear that he had been debating about what he actually wanted for his bedroom. On the far wall there were paint swatches for red and white on the otherwise sky-blue wall and on the work bench he had several half-built models of robot action figures. The wooden wardrobe was open with tons of clothes either hung up or halfway falling out and spilling onto the floor, all with lots of black, white, red, and beige. Draped over the wardrobe door was his black organization coat and tossed in another corner were the rest of his organization uniform next to a waste bin, as if he couldn't decide whether or not he wanted to be rid of it just yet.

"Please excuse the mess," Roxas muttered as he knelt underneath the bed and pulled out a folding cot with a padded mattress for Riku. Said elder teen helped him unfold it and set it up. Despite the messy state of Roxas's room, there was a decent amount of floor space, but Roxas still set it up so that it was decently close to the bed. Upon looking at the bed, Riku couldn't help but smile at how short it was and yet decently wide and couldn't help wondering where all these oddly-proportioned beds could possibly be coming from.

After the cot was all set up, Sora raided his nobody's closet for a shirt. He ended up finding a billowy-sleeved white shirt and fell in love with it. "This one's perfect!"

"That one?" Roxas asked in surprise. "I wore that for a school production. I was one of the backup pirates."

"It's perfect!" Sora took off his own shirts to try it on. "Can I borrow this one?"

"If you like it that much, you can keep it!" Roxas laughed. "It looks good on you."

"Hehe! Thanks!" Sora carefully pulled it off and folded it to put it in their duffel bag but caught Roxas staring at him. "Something wrong?"

"You're leaking," Roxas pointed out. "Your back."

"Wha--?" Sora twisted around to look as Riku hurried over to check.

"Sorry, I should've changed your bandages on the ship. Let's get you to the bathroom," Riku ushered him that way since he already knew where it was.

By the time they got Sora cleaned up and changed again and both dressed in their pajama bottoms, Roxas had the curtains drawn and the nightlight flicked on so that it legitimately looked like it was night-time now. He even had sheets and blankets spread on the cot for Riku. Just as they were about to settle in, they could hear shouting from down the hall and what sounded like minor explosions which alarmed Sora. "Should we...?"

"Just close the door and ignore them," Roxas sighed and Riku was more than happy to do so.

"Are they fighting?" Sora asked nervously as he crawled onto the bed next to Roxas.

"It's just foreplay," the blonde assured him as he reached over to turn off the light.

"Foreplay!?" the brunette asked with wide eyes. "It sounds like they're sparring!"

"Don't worry about it," his nobody sighed and pulled the blankets over the both of them. "I sure don't."

"Probably for the best," Riku smirked in the dark as he pulled his own blankets over himself. "Good night, you two."

"Good night," they said in unison.

Riku fell asleep first. Roxas seemed to be asleep. Sora was staring at the ceiling with his fingers interlaced behind his head as he tried to silence the racing thoughts keeping him awake. There was just too much to think about and lately it's felt like he's had less time than ever to process it all. He sighed heavily through his nose and was suddenly startled by Roxas rolling around on his side to look at him.

"Can't sleep?" he asked quietly.

"How'd you know?" Sora whispered.

"You've been sighing for the past 20 minutes," Roxas smirked as he propped his head up on his hand.

"Heh, sorry," Sora smiled at the blue-eyed blonde sheepishly.

"What's eating you?" Roxas gently pried.

"I don't even know where to start," the brunette quietly admitted, his eyes looking back towards the ceiling.

"Then...can I ask you a question, Sora?" the other asked softly.

"Uh-huh?"

"Do you miss us?"

Sora bit his bottom lip and snuck a glance at Roxas whose eyes he could feel looking at him even in the dark. "Why do you ask?"

"It's just that...before you told us everything at the tower, it felt like you were pretty lonely. That's why I was a little mad at Riku."

"Roxas..." Sora's voice quivered at the teen's sincerity. "Do you...?"

Roxas shook his head and the bed shifted as he scooched closer to Sora. "I'm happy. But..." he wrapped an arm around Sora and rested his head on his chest to listen to his heart. "There is something here that I miss."

Sora was a little taken by surprise but he found himself unlacing the fingers behind his head and wrapping an arm around Roxas. He could feel something too. His heart responding to Roxas's as they reached for each other. It was comforting and familiar, like holding the hand of an old friend.

"It's so warm here," Roxas whispered. "It's something I've noticed, Sora. There's love everywhere you go. I guess I miss it. This warmth...It's very similar to what I feel when I'm with the others. But there's something about yours that I miss."

"But...you are happy?" Sora asked hesitantly.

"I am," Roxas assured him as he smiled into his chest. "I haven't had a heart for very long, but this is one thing I am sure about."

"I'm glad," the brunette sighed softly with relief and felt his eyelids growing heavy at long last. "Thank you, Roxas."

"Good night, Sora," Roxas sighed and closed his eyes.

"Good night, Roxas," Sora whispered as he finally drifted off to sleep.

The next morning, Riku awoke to find both Sora and Roxas gone but heard the water running in the bathroom next door. Trash can was already busy munching on discarded bandages and Roxas's bed was already made. With a long yawn and a stretch, Riku rolled out of the cot and politely began folding everything up to put it back where he saw Roxas take it out earlier before walking towards the bathroom. The door was open and both teens were fixing their hair over the twin sinks.

"So Axel says foreplay is just something adults do until they agree on what to do next," Roxas explained while he grabbed his toothbrush.

"That sounds about right," Sora agreed.

Riku couldn't even begin to explain how badly that can be taken if applied in the wrong situation but he didn't want the two to think he was eavesdropping. "Good morning, you two."

"Good morning, Riku!" Sora greeted. "Did you sleep well?"

"I did. You're up early?"

"I know, right? Hehe. Roxas even helped me with my bandages this morning."

"Heh, thanks, Roxas," Riku smiled as he sneakily double-checked his handiwork. Everything checked out.

"Don't mention it," Roxas gargled and spat. "Now hurry up and get him healed so we don't have to do this anymore," he taunted as he wiped his mouth on a towel.

"I'm on it," the elder teen smirked.

"You two going to stay for breakfast?" the blonde asked as he exited the bathroom.

"I'm afraid we have to get going," Sora answered regretfully. "It's a long ways to Atlantica from here and we don't want to be late."

"Suit yourself. I make a mean bowl of cereal."

"Next time, definitely!" the brunette laughed.

After upgrading their keyblades at the store one last time (Sora finally settled on Metal Chocobo) the two set off for Atlantica. Sora made them both some breakfast by performing some weird science in the microwave in the lower cabin and ended up making very decent breakfast burritos with scrambled eggs to boot. The two were prepared for a long haul since they need to travel to a warp point before they could actually MAKE the warp there but what they didn't expect were all the heartless mobs! Everywhere they went, every detour they tried to take, it was like they were being followed! Finally, Sora couldn't take it anymore and asked Riku to let him drive and he took control with many a flip and spin to deflect their attacks while somehow managing to aim all 8 of their guns. Poor Riku couldn't even keep track of what was up or down so he opted to keep strapped in and keep an eye on the teeny ships and the other ship's vitals while keeping in contact with Chip and Dale, just in case, and even that was very difficult. The entire time, Sora was laser-focused with thumbs mashing at breakneck speed while he kept the barrel rolls coming. Finally, they made it through the worst of it and made it through the warp point!

"Phew!" Sora breathed a sigh of relief and flopped back in the captain's chair. "We made it!"

"Mm-mmm..." Riku hummed through gritted teeth while trying to unlock his death grip on the other controls. "I think I'm going to be sick."

Sora quickly handed him a barf bag from the glove compartment and Riku excused himself in the lower cabin for a few minutes while Sora got them back on course. "That sure was weird. We haven't seen that many heartless in a while. Better let Tron and the others know about this." By the time he updated Chip and Dale and Tron, Riku was back from the lower cabin and the color was back in his face. "Are you okay?" Sora asked sympathetically.

"Yeah, I'll just...let you drive for a little while longer. Looks like the ship is still in one piece," Riku commented.

"Yup! That sure was rough, though. My hands are still shaking from hitting all those buttons," Sora laughed.

When they finally arrived, Sora tossed on the shirt he borrowed from Roxas and grabbed their wedding present for Eric and Ariel but both realized they had no idea how to get it down there without getting it wet. "Oh no..." Sora looked to Riku with distress. "No matter what I'm going to turn into a fish, so...you'll have to do it!"

"How do you know _I_ won't immediately turn into a fish?" Riku asked.

"Well, I still have Donald's magic on me. Maybe if you warp on land you won't be affected? We'll just warp you onto the dock where the wedding boat is!"

"And then what?"

"Uh...dive in? I guess?"

Riku sighed and took the precious parcel. "What do we have to lose?"

"One very expensive clock," Sora laughed.

"Right...Just don't wander off too far," Riku smiled.

Sora gave him a kiss. "You know I won't~"

One warp trip later, Sora found himself in the ocean with the other merpeople on their way to the wedding. He looked down and was relieved to find that his shirt stayed on and he quickly tapped the broach beneath it to activate the chest plate beneath it, just in case. It was a little awkward swimming with billowing sleeves, but nobody seemed to pay him any mind. On his way up to the surface, a splash came from above and there was Riku in his half-shark form with a tail as silver as his hair and wearing a shirt similar to Sora's but black. "Wait, how did you--?"

"I borrowed it," Riku said simply and took his hand. "This way you'll stick out even less."

"Aww, that's so sweet, Riku!" Sora giggled. Together, they finished the journey with the others and broke the surface together. By now the ceremony was already starting and many merpeople were watching, their heads bobbing out of the calm water as they strained to see the happy couple. King Triton was also nearby dabbing at his own tears as the vows were being read. The pair of keybladers hung pretty far back and held hands beneath the surface as they watched the couple say their "I do's". 

As the sun began to set, the brunette started feeling very emotional. Ariel was dressed in a beautiful poofy white gown just like he's seen in the movies and Prince Eric looked so dashing in his uniform. The band played a beautiful song that sounded so much like the one Ariel would sing for whenever she thought of Eric. All of it overwhelmed Sora to the point of tears. "I'm so happy for them."

Riku smiled at him and wrapped an arm around his waist. "You're such a sap, Sora."

"I know," Sora sniffed. "But look at King Triton...he's so happy too." They just witnessed the proud king rise out of the water to give his daughter one last embrace before the boat made way to sail into the sunset. The pair of them joined the other mermaids in waving farewell until they were out of view and the wedding band could no longer be heard. By then, the sun had nearly disappeared on the horizon and Sora looked up to see something that looked like a meteor flashing through the sky. "Was that...?"

"What is it Sora?" Riku looked over to see Sora suddenly looking very crestfallen. "Are you okay?"

"I...I want to go home," Sora said suddenly as he pressed a hand over his heart. Something didn't feel right. All he wanted right this second was to go home.

"We'll be able to go home soon," Riku smiled.

"No, I mean now. Like right now."

"Now now?"

"Now," Sora said firmly.

"Sora, it's going to take some time--"

"I know!" Sora sobbed. "But we need to go!"

"Okay, okay!" Riku took his hand and the two of them swam to the nearest warp point to get back on the ship. Not even halfway there, Sora started to slow down and Riku looked behind him to see what looked like flashes of light streaming across the sky above the water. He half-wondered if it was just a trick of the light but now wasn't the time to worry about it. He could feel Sora's grip getting lax so he pulled him close and held onto his waist until the reached the warp point.

Now back on the ship, Sora was stumbling to get into his seat. Everything hurt. Everything was pain. He couldn't see straight. He felt sick. "C-can you get us there, Riku?" he asked as he fumbled with his seatbelt and leaned back into the seat with his eyes closed, trying to block out any unnecessary stimuli before he completely lost it.

Riku hurried into the seat, now sensing more of the urgency in Sora's voice as he revved up the engines. "I'm sure as hell going to try. Just hold on tight."


	36. Falling Stars, Lifted Hearts

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _"What if a falling star hits the islands, Riku?"_
> 
> _"If any stars come this way, I'll just hit 'em back into outer space! I'll always keep you safe!"_

The journey back was a short one as Riku did everything in his power to push the engines to their limit and take every possible shortcut that he possibly could to access the proper warp points. Sora wasn't even speaking anymore, now covered in a blanket from one of the bunks as he shook all over with cold sweats from pain. But even when Riku offered to hold him, he waved him off and told him to focus on driving, which of course worried the elder teen all the more.

Thanks to the keyblade master's efforts, they made it back in record time. But just as he was about to assign their warp destination for his house, Sora stopped him. "No, the play island," he insisted.

Riku wasn't sure to make of it, but the way Sora looked at him through heavily-lidded eyes told him now was not the time to argue. When their feet hit the sandy shores, Sora fell over almost immediately and Riku had to catch him before he fell to the ground. "Whoa, easy."

By now it was already starting to get dark. Sora pulled the blanket he was still wearing around himself and pointed wordlessly at the paopu tree.

"There?" Riku asked. "Alright." He started walking with Sora, but the teen could only drag his feet so Riku scooped him up to carry him to the shed where they took the stairs leading up to the bridge that connected the two small islands together. All the while, the brunette continued to tremble in his arms as he clung to Riku's shirt. But even though Sora was clearly going through something, Riku couldn't make out anything through their connection. What he did feel was wave after wave of confusing emotions, but they mostly felt...happy? It was so strange. Just by looking at Sora you could tell he was in distress but the pounding of his heart felt more like excitement? Joy, even? How could that be when he's in so much pain?

When they finally reached the small islet, Sora finally opened his eyes and smiled up at Riku. "Riku, look!" and nodded upwards.

Confused, Riku looked up at the sky and gasped as a spark of light streamed across the sky! "Is that--?"

As if to answer his question, more lights began streaming across the sky one after the other. It was a meteor shower!

"I want to stay here tonight," Sora explained while he stroked Riku's cheek with the back of his skaky hand. "Please?"

Riku sighed and turned his head to kiss the tips of his fingers. He couldn't say no to those soft eyes gleaming up at him as they reflected the stars streaming from above. "Alright."

Sora sat against the trunk of the paopu tree while Riku set up the tent and lined the inside with the padding and sleeping bags. Unfortunately Sora couldn't really move so he also had to set the fire up himself too but Riku found he didn't really mind just this once since it's not like the brunette was having an easy time by any means. Once everything was set up, he regathered Sora in his arms and they sat back together, Sora in between his legs and leaning back against his chest while they watched the shooting stars streak across the horizon. The two mostly sat in silence, save for the occasional ooh and ahh from both of them as they enjoyed the sounds of the waves, the soft crackling of the fire, and the billowing of tent in the gentle breeze. Eventually, Riku attempted to get Sora to eat, but the teen would only shake his head and stubbornly keep his mouth closed. He even outright refused potions which Riku had to dump on him and even after they evaporated it seemed to do very little to help ease Sora's pain.

The silverette did his best to not get frustrated, but Sora was really starting to scare him and he was feeling more helpless by the minute as the smaller teen continued to tremble and become increasingly more pale in the firelight. He gave one last attempt to get him to drink SOMETHING by pressing a water bottle to his lips. "Hydrate or die-drate."

The line earned a small giggle from Sora, "Hey, that's my joke." And he ended up taking a few sips of water, much to Riku's relief. It wasn't much but it was something. After a few more sips, Sora refused to drink anymore so he capped the bottle and set it aside. That's when he heard music play from somewhere from the bundle that is Sora. With a chuckle, Sora stuck his hand out with the open music box and handed it to Riku who set it aside and let it play for the both of them while they resumed watching the stars. Just having the tiny box play their song seemed to ease Sora's pain as his trembling seemed to reduce to shivering and his eyelids appeared to be getting heavier. "Sora?" Riku whispered.

"What if a falling star hits the islands, Riku?" Sora murmured.

"What?" the keyblade master almost laughed. Sora almost sounded delirious.

"What if a falling star hits the islands?" he repeated.

With a sigh, Riku held Sora tighter and nuzzled the crook of his neck as he gently rocked him and repeated the vow he made so many years ago, "If any stars come this way...I'll just hit 'em back into outer space. I'll always keep you safe."

At hearing those words, Sora smiled and relaxed further in Riku's arms with a long sigh as if the tension that's been tightening and tightening in his body had finally given. He felt like he could breathe a little easier, even as he continued to feel horrible spikes of pain all over his body. It was as if his mind was finally now able to start blocking it out or maybe he just stopped caring. The hurt just didn't matter right now. Enjoying this moment with Riku was what mattered. He could forget everything else. With what little energy he had left, he forced his body to turn sideways so he could look up at the love his life and drink in the sight of his beautiful face against the backdrop of shooting stars as another wave lit up the sky. "I love you so much..."

The look that Sora was giving Riku was so heartbreakingly soft it took the silverette's breath away. He tried to form words but they got stuck in his throat. Trembling fingers reached out and touched his cheek and he found himself unable to hold back tears as Sora continued to look at him with those adoring eyes. When they drifted closed, Riku pressed his lips to Sora's. He could feel how cold his lips had gotten, how cold all of him was. It broke Riku even further and he found himself babbling many apologies as he felt panicked and hurried to carry him into the tent. Sora made a slight noise of distress that startled the elder teen as he reached back outside and he remembered, "Oh right! Sorry!" and reached out for the precious box to bring inside the tent with them.

Inside the tent, Riku realized how damp the blanket Sora was wrapped in had gotten and quickly took it off to find him completely soaked in cold sweat. "Sora!" he gasped as he fumbled to peel the clothing off of him. "You're soaked!"

The brunette only groaned in response and started curling up on himself, making it really difficult for Riku to carry out his task. Once Sora was rid of his clothing, he found Sora's bandages were COMPLETELY soaked through with dark matter to the point some of it had leaked down his back. The keyblade master ran his hands over his face and took a deep breath to calm himself as he got to work, quickly grabbing the safety scissors to clip them off, but Sora was now squirming too much. "Please, Sora. You need to hold still for me."

"It hurts," Sora gasped as Riku rolled him onto his back. "I-I can't..."

"I know, I'm sorry, but you gotta stop wiggling," Riku apologized as he peppered kisses all over Sora's brow, "I don't want to hurt you."

"I'm so cold," the brunette trembled.

"I know, I know. Just help me do this and I'll hold you all you want," Riku promised as he took Sora's hands in his own.

Sora gave a small strained smile and turned his head to look out the open tent flap, "Do you remember that night?"

With Sora distracted, Riku made quick work of grabbing the safety scissors and started trimming away. "Y-yes," he whispered as he forced himself to speak around the huge lump in his throat.

"I was so scared and you acted so brave..."

Riku paused to look at Sora to see his eyes shimmering with unshed tears that reflected yet another wave of falling stars. "Yeah...you looked like you were about to cry."

Sora chuckled, "And remember after that? We searched the beach the next day to see if any had fallen on the island?"

Riku made it through the first heavy layer and tossed the sodden gauze at trash can in the corner. "That's right," Riku manage to give a little laugh as he wiped his nose on the back of his hand. "After that, we picked up every pretty stone we could find and wondered if it came from the sky."

The brunette laughed. "I still wonder about that, sometimes," he admitted.

Riku hummed at the admission as he recalled how he would still look for them even after they stopped their game. Eventually it seemed weird to keep giving Sora gifts for no reason so he just gave them whenever Sora bested him at something. Somewhere along the way, those times became less and less frequent as they became increasingly competitive and Riku desired to win much more than he had before. _It's almost crazy to think that was only a couple of years ago...so much has changed but also stayed the same._ He smiled as he glanced down at the bracelet with the pretty stone charm on his wrist. Finally he turned Sora over and clipped through the last layer of gauze by cutting straight up the middle of his back. When they fell open, both immediately cried out, Sora gasping in pain and Riku gasping in surprise as large spots of white light were revealed all over his back. "Sora!"

The brunette cried out as he gripped the sleeping bags beneath him. Without the bandages, he could feel each hot spot on his back. As Riku hurried to peel off the rest, he could feel it on his wrist and leg as well. "Riku!!" he sobbed as he writhed on padded floor. "Riku, please!"

The elder teen hurriedly disposed of the rest of his bandages and wiped Sora down but he wasn't sure what the brunette expected him to do at this point. He tried touching the spots which earned a noise of approval from the afflicted teen. Since it seemed to help, he continued roaming his fingers all up and down his back and felt lumps under every spot. "Sora...I think they're coming out all at once!"

Sora nodded as he reached to hold onto one of Riku's hands. He was crying but he was happy, too. "Y-yeah, I think so too!"

Riku's heart leapt in his chest when he saw Sora smiling, despite everything. Now he knew why Sora was so excited. "This...this is it. It's happening!"

"Yeah!" Sora beamed. "It's happening!"

Riku couldn't contain himself any further and grabbed Sora to hold him tightly, peppering kisses all over his face while he ran a hand through his hair, "I almost can't believe it!"

Sora wrapped his arms around Riku as tightly as he could muster, laughing with joy as Riku kissed him all over. "Just hold me 'til it's over, okay?"

"Trust me, I'm not letting you go for a second," Riku promised.

As the minutes dragged on, Riku DID end up having to let go to change into something more comfortable for both of them. The one in Sora's leg popped out first and Riku managed to catch it in mid-air with the jar at the ready before it ripped a hole through the tent ("Nice save!"). After which, Sora was able to at least get some pants on. Even with the fire close by, the air coming off the ocean was getting incredibly chilly. Sora was able to sit upright and hold out his left wrist as it came out next.

"I kinda wish I could have a Spiderman moment with this one," he managed to laugh as he made the Spiderman web-slinging hand gesture. "Just let it shoot out?"

"Oh no you don't!" Riku warned as he got the jar ready and had Sora move his wrist to a more appropriate place. "If it rips through the tent we'll never be able to find it, and then what?"

"Fiiiiiiiiine," Sora pouted.

Once it finally did come out, Sora held his wrist for a moment as it still continued to burn even after the offending dark matter had left it. When he expressed this concern to Riku, he turned on the lamp hanging from the ceiling of the tent to see that it left behind a white scar with spiked edges on his wrist that almost looked like a star. When they checked his leg, they found a similar mark there as well. Before either of them could comment, Sora felt another one coming out of his shoulder blade and rolled back onto his stomach, clutching a pillow beneath him as he looked out at the stars again. In an effort to soothe him, Riku attempted to rub Sora's back and massage the area around the glowing spots. Since these were all much bigger, they were less concerned about them shooting out, but regardless this restricted their cuddling options. Eventually Riku's hands were getting tired and his kisses were having less and less of an effect so in order for either of them to get any rest, Sora had Riku lay on his back so he can lay on top of him. The elder teen insisted his hands weren't THAT tired, but Sora wasn't having any of it and told him they both needed to rest. Even with Sora on top, Riku lazily traced soothing circles into Sora's back while trying to stay awake. The brunette unfortunately couldn't sleep for fear of the crystals halting their progress but he did open the music box again to help calm them further as they both watched the stars through the open tent.

Each emerging crystal seemed to coincide with a new wave of falling stars. Their journey across the sky eliciting so much joy from Sora that it rejuvenated the light in his heart pushing out the horrible crystals that have plagued him all these months. With Riku loving and supporting him every minute, that light increased by tenfold to the point where they weren't sure if it was the lantern keeping the tent lit or if it was Sora. As each one emerged, Sora gripped and pawed at Riku, gasping and crying into his shoulder as keyblade master had his hands ready to catch it. Slowly but surely, the last ten crystals popped out one by one, each securely deposited in the jar until it was finally over. When the last one finally exited Sora's lower back, the one nearest his spine, he cried harder than ever as he felt the last of his pain leave his body. It was such a drastic change that he wondered if he had gone numb. For a few minutes he worried Riku half to death as he tried so hard to console the sobbing teen.

"It's gone, Riku! The pain's gone!" Sora cried happily.

"At last!" the elder teen sighed and clutched Sora tightly as he felt exhaustion begin to take him. "I'm so happy."

"I know!" Sora sniffled. "D-do you know what this means?"

"Where to even begin?" Riku laughed.

"No more bandages!"

"No more bandages!" the elder teen repeated enthusiastically!

"You won't have to carry me anymore!"

"Oh darn," Riku smirked.

"I can lift Metal Chocobo!"

"I guess?"

"I can carry YOU!"

"Let's not get ahead of ourselves."

"I can take on a Titan if I wanted to!"

"Sure!"

"I can...I can..."

"Yes?" Riku looked down to see Sora had fallen asleep on top of him. With a small laugh, he carefully sat up to turn off the lantern. With a small laugh, he carefully sat up to turn off the lantern. As he moved to zip the tent closed, he caught sight of the sun coming up and smiled as he caressed and gently thumbed away the tear stains on his face. "You can do anything, Sora."


	37. Weathered Eyes, Tethered Hearts

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sora and Riku greet the new day and share the good news with their friends and family before hitting the high seas in search of adventure! Or...more heartless. Yeah, mostly heartless.

When Riku awoke, Sora was still half-laying on top of him, staring at him adoringly with half-lidded eyes as if he had just woken not moments ago.

"Good morning, handsome," the brunette greeted with rays of light peeking through the tent flap softly lighting his face.

"Morning, beautiful," Riku smiled. The two stared at each other for a couple of seconds before they both chuckled bashfully and nuzzled their noses as they tried in vain to fight off their blushing. "Ready to start the day?"

"Yeah," Sora giggled. "I'm ready for anything."

"Glad to hear it," the elder teen kissed his cheek and sat up, groaning as he had to lift Sora off in the process. Out of sheer habit, he reached for the bag with the bandages and looked towards Sora's back. "Oh yeah..."

"Hm?" Sora asked.

"I almost forgot," he chuckled. "We should probably update everybody before the phone calls start coming in."

Sora rolled onto his stomach to grab his phone, idly kicking his legs back and forth as he checked. "Oh yeah, I have tons of texts from Roxas, Xion, and Ven already."

Riku smirked and snapped a picture of Sora smiling as he scrolled through his texts. "Cute~"

"Hey!" Sora laughed and reached for the phone playfully. "So rude taking topless pics without my permission!"

"Oh like you don't do it to me!" Riku laughed as he let Sora grab the phone. "Come on, it's a good picture."

Sora looked at the screen and his jaw drops, "Wait, what are those things all over my back?"

"What?" Riku looked at Sora. The same star-shaped scarring that was left behind on Sora's wrist was all over his back, meaning the crystals left 10 white stars all over his shoulder blades and down the length of his spine and lower back. Thinking maybe the lighting was the problem, Riku took his phone back and took another picture for Sora to see. "This one better?"

Sora continued to look crestfallen, "Not really?"

"I like them," Riku smiled and straddled Sora's back to lay kisses on every single one. "They look like stars," he whispered softly into his ear as he laid kisses on the back of his neck as well.

Sora mewled beneath Riku's weight and shivered whenever he felt those wonderful lips make contact. "Ri...Riku~"

"Are they sensitive?" the taller teen asked in a low voice as he traced every one adoringly with his fingertips, causing Sora to gasp in response.

"Y-yes..." the brunette felt himself beginning to melt beneath Riku's skilled fingers and started curling his toes. Soon it was almost too much for him to take and he squirmed to turn around and face Riku who grabbed his wrist next to kiss the scar left there as well. "W-wait..." he pleaded but the silverette was already pressing his lips to the spot and sucking on it gently, the soft suction sending sparks shooting up Sora's arm and igniting all the happy feelings in Sora's brain that turn him into absolute putty in Riku's hands, all while those gorgeous teal eyes kept locked on his to gage his reactions.

But just as Sora was about to let out a long moan, his stomach made the most angry of growls and he snatched his wrist back from Riku to clutch his middle, which earned a laugh from Riku. "Oh right! You didn't even have dinner last night. You must be starving."

"Yeah," Sora chuckled sheepishly. "How about I make us some breakfast?"

After bringing the fire back to life, Sora made quick work of going through their supplies and pulling together a few leftovers to make yet another pair of omelets, this time using leftover rice, green peppers, onions, and a little bit of sausage with a little tomato sauce sprinkled on top. While he worked, Riku was busy sending a status report to Kairi who was screaming with elation over the phone for a good ten minutes. After that, the phones were going off non-stop and Riku answered every single one while Sora finished putting their food together, occasionally leaning over to say hi into the speaker phone while he worked. Riku even took the time to take some better pictures of Sora's leftover scarring to send to Tron so his status could be updated. Even the program was very happy to hear the news. The last one to call was Ven who said that they should come to the Land of Departure to visit and celebrate with some cake. To which the two said they'd take him up on that offer and visit very soon.

After Sora finished cooking, he tossed the egg shells to trash can to nom on. "Don't worry, Rufus. You're not out of a job yet," he laughed.

"Rufus?" Riku raised an eyebrow as he sipped on some water.

"I named it!" Sora said simply as he handed Riku his plate.

"Why Rufus?"

"You have a better name?" the brunette smirked as he sat down.

"No, but...it's a trash can."

"A trash can named Rufus," Sora corrected.

"Fine," Riku laughed. "Rufus it is."

After they've finished and cleaned up everything, the two took a stroll together, still only dressed very casually with their t-shirts and sweat pants which they rolled up so they could enjoy the water at their feet. As they held hands and kicked at the wet sand they discussed where they should go next.

"I'm not going to lie...I've missed the water," Sora smiled and shielded his eyes from the sun as the wind started to pick up and blow his bangs out of his face.

"We were just in it back in Atlantica," Riku reminded him.

"Yeah, but not for very long. Besides I meant something else. How about we go to the Caribbean?"

"What's there?" Riku asked.

"Port Royal! Pirates! Pirate ships!" Sora cheered enthusiastically.

The keyblade master laughed and squeezed his hand, "So you're telling me you want to go play pirate for a little while?"

"Sure, why not?" the brunette grinned. "Now that I've got my sea legs back, I wanna have some fun! Sail the high seas! Look for some buried treasure!"

"Do you think we'll actually find some treasure?"

"I guarantee it!"

"I'm not convinced," Riku snorted.

"Okay, then where do YOU want to go, wise guy?"

"I'm not saying it doesn't sound like fun. But we don't even have a ship."

"Sure we do! They'll have one lined up for me!" he thumbed his chest confidently. "Everybody knows the name of Captain Sora at Port Royal!"

"Oh do they?"

"That's right!"

"No way am I calling you Captain Sora."

"You will if it's my ship," Sora pouted.

"Well what if I commandeer the ship?" Riku teased.

When they reached the end of the beach at the docks, Sora groaned and kicked some sand at Riku's feet. "Fine. I'll race you to the bridge. If I win, I'm captain! If you win..."

"I get to share a paopu with you," the taller male teased as he wrapped an arm around Sora's waist and dipped him back.

"Wait, what?"

"Deal?"

"Wait a minute!" the brunette flailed. With stakes like those, what should he do!? This is really giving him a bad case of dejavu!

"Then it's settled!" Riku laughed and let him up to take his stance. "Say when!"

"But--"

"GO!" Riku shouted and started dashing for the bridge.

"NO FAIR, YOU JERK!" Sora shouted as he sprinted with all his might while Riku cackled merely inches in front of him.

When Riku made it to the finish line first and stopped, Sora kept going and tumbled right into him, pinning him in the sand with the biggest pout on his face. "I wanted to be captain!"

Riku laughed, "You can be captain. But I still want my prize."

Sora's cheeks turned pink and he turned his face away, his cheeks still puffed out in a pout. "You didn't have to beat me in a race for that..." he mumbled.

The pinned teen snickered and leaned upward to press a kiss to each pouty cheek, forcing the teen to turn redder. Riku couldn't help chuckling softly as he cupped said cheeks in his hands and felt them warm up his palms as he pressed their foreheads together. "I love you so much."

Sora sighed heavily through his nose and his pout melted away into a broad smile before he finally pushed himself off of Riku and let him up. "So you're going to call me Captain Sora, then?"

"I'll think about it," Riku chuckled as he stood up and brushed the sand off of himself before walking back towards the islet where the legendary tree leaned. "You coming?"

Sora rolled his eyes but he grinned and hurried after to take Riku's hand as they walked back together. He half-expected Riku to be joking but sure enough, the teen began climbing the tree to grab one of the precious paopu fruit from the top. As he slid down, Sora couldn't help laughing as Riku yelped when the bark yanked on his sweats which barely qualified as pajama bottoms at this point.

"You okay?" Sora asked as he hopped down.

"Of course," Riku brushed off the piece of offending bark. "Though I suppose I could've done that a little more gracefully."

Sora chuckled and stepped forward to grab both of Riku's hands as he stared up at him fondly, "So how many paopu fruits have you given me by this point?"

"Heh, I guess this will be lucky number three," the teen admitted bashfully as he slightly averted his gaze. "Shall I do the honors, then?"

"Please," Sora giggled and released his hands so Riku could pull out his pocket knife and sliced the star shaped fruit down the middle, starting between the two bottom legs so that there were two open halves. From there he handed Sora his half and both pulled the rind apart so that the juicy fruit inside split apart neatly from the skin like a pita pocket.

Following Sora's lead, Riku reached inside his to grab a piece of the sweet and squishy fruit and offered it to his lips while Sora did the same for him. Together the two fed each other slowly, even taking time to suck on each others fingers between bites, until there weren't any pieces left to share. After which, Riku embraced Sora tightly and pulled him to his toes as he kissed him deeply and the two made out passionately while the rinds fell forgotten to the sand. Neither let up until every drop of sweet juice was licked clean from each other's lips. Now fed and breathless, the two almost didn't know what to say when they finally separated again. As the pair locked eyes and clutched each other's hands for a moment, Sora was was struck with an idea and knelt down to grab the dropped rinds. "Seems kind of a shame to just throw these away. They still have seeds in them."

"Maybe we could bury them somewhere?" Riku suggested.

"Can we?" Sora asked excitedly.

"I don't see why not. Do you have a place in mind?"

Sora looked back towards the island. "You know, on the other side there's a bare spot at the top of the cliffs. I've never climbed up there before."

Riku's eyebrows raised in realization. He knew exactly which spot Sora was talking about. "Then let's go."

After the two went to the other side of the island, they used flowmotion to make the climb up the cliff where sure enough there was a bare spot with a fantastic view of the entire play island as well as the main island where everybody lived. Riku had never taken Sora up here, but he knew this spot well. Whenever he was alone, he'd come up here to wonder about his feelings for both his friends, wonder which feelings were stirring up so much discourse in his heart. Looking back now, the obvious answer was his feelings for Sora, and maybe even back then he knew, but he was too scared to admit it. It seemed way too fitting to be up here with him now. "This look like a good spot?"

Sora was already grabbing a stick to dig a hole with. "Definitely! Wanna help out?"

"I suppose," Riku smirked and proceeded to use his hands to shovel the dirt since it was obviously much faster than the pathetic stick that Sora had found. Together they buried the pieces and shared another kiss before they decided they had better get going if they wanted to make good time to their next destination. "You don't want to pop by and say hi to your folks?" Riku asked.

Sora paused in his tracks and clenched his fists as his body shook, "Is it bad I didn't even think of them?"

Riku wiped his hands clean on his pants and hurried to wrap his arms around Sora in a comforting hug. "It's not your fault. It really isn't."

"Yes it is! I'm horrible!" Sora despaired as he buried his face into Riku's chest.

"No, Sora!" Riku pulled him away and knelt down so he could look up at him. "Your only priority this entire time was to get better, right? Everybody gave you permission to do just that. And now you're better! So let's go see them before we leave, okay?"

Sora sniffled, but he wouldn't dare let himself cry. "You're right. But we gotta have a good excuse to leave or Mom's going to make us stay another night."

"My mom, too," Riku laughed.

They stopped by Riku's house first when they saw the family car in the driveway. As it turned out, his parents were just on their way out to go on another fishing trip and were thrilled at Riku's timing. After his parents loaded Riku with some canned food, they said their good-byes and were on their way again. It was a short visit but Sora thought it was sweet. Riku's parents weren't always the best at expressing affection but when they did, it was always with food...usually fish.

"Did they give you any tuna?" Sora asked as he snickered at Riku while he stuffed the canned goods into their rucksack.

"I'm sure it's in there somewhere," Riku snorted. "Now let's hurry up and see your family. We're losing daylight."

"Right!"

Mission In and Out ended up being a colossal failure for both teens. Not only were both parents home for lunch, but both were so overjoyed to see Sora feeling better that they couldn't pry his mother off of him even if they had the jaws of life! Then came lunch. Then came early dinner. Then came nightfall. Then came the "You shouldn't travel this late at night!" and "You should stay here til morning!". Before they knew it, Sora's mom had set up the spare futon on the floor in Sora's childhood bedroom and the two found themselves staying the night. They tried to sneak out early the next morning, but Sora's mom was already awake so the brunette couldn't leave without making his family some breakfast before they finally headed out. With full bellies, freshly laundered clothes, and enough mommy smooches to last both teens a while, the two were finally able to leave.

"Do you think they know?" Riku asked as he piloted the gummi ship with one hand and wiped the lipstick off his cheek with the other.

"Oh definitely," Sora laughed as he wiped his own off with a handkerchief and leaned over to do the same for Riku. "Didn't you hear my dad calling you "son"?"

"Yeah but he's always...wait..." Riku's eyes widened slightly. He DID say it a little differently this time. Maybe Sora's parents have caught on earlier than he thought. The thought of it made his ears burn.

"Hm?"

"Nothing," Riku laughed. "So we're off to play pirate then?"

"Aye!" Sora chirped.

When they arrived at Port Royal, Sora was pleased to see his red and black-themed vessel was waiting at the docks as if the crabs knew he was coming. "See! There it is!" he pointed before turning to look at Riku who was dressed very similarly to Sora but with a very large yellow feather sticking out of his hat. Instead of a blue bandanna like Sora's, his was tied up in black and he had a blue vest beneath his black coat. "Whoa...hey wait!"

"What?" Riku blinked.

"Why do you get to be all flashy?" Sora asked with a pout.

"Me?? Look at you!" the elder teen argued. "You look..."

"Yesssssss?" he asked smugly.

"Heh, you're the cutest pirate ever."

"WHAT!? You take that back, ye land lubber!" Sora roared and chased after Riku. "RESPECT YOUR CAPTAIN!"

"Not a chance!" Riku laughed as he hopped aboard the ship. Though he wasn't too sure of the idea at first, he was quickly warming up to this world as he eagerly climbed the crow's nest to take in everything. Not too far off, he could see a ghostly looking black ship with torn sails coming into port. "Hey, Sora! Recognize that one?" he called down.

"Huh?" Sora climbed aboard and looked towards where Riku was pointing. Sure enough, the infamous Black Pearl was approaching. "That's the Black Pearl! That means Jack's here!"

"Jack? You mean THE Captain Jack?" Riku asked, trying to contain his boyish excitement as he came down. "Now there's a pirate I'd like to meet!"

"Aye! I'll introduce you!" Sora grinned, happy to see Riku so excited even if he probably wouldn't admit it.

"Are you going to talk like the whole time we're here?" Riku asked as he playfully punched Sora in the arm.

"AYE! Now go swab the poop deck!" Sora commanded as he shoved Riku back.

"Not a chance!" the elder teen smirked as he snatched Sora's hat and held it above his head.

"HEY! Give that back! This is mutiny!!" Sora flailed as he tried to jump up and retrieve it back. "RIKU!!!"

Despite their teasing and arguing, the two got things figured out for the ship. Plus, it helped that it was a magical ship that practically ran itself because obviously it would be nearly impossible for the two to take cake care of everything by themselves. "The crabs got it all under control," Sora explained.

"Wait, the crabs?" Riku asked.

"Oh yeah, I forgot to tell you. Everything is crabs," the small captain stated matter-of-factly as he unrolled the map to decide their heading.

"Everything is crabs?" Riku repeated. "What does that even mean?"

"Look, there are some things you just don't question!" Sora laughed. Just as he wondered if he should bother going into the whole story, the Black Pearl parked at the docks. "Ooh! There's Jack! Come on!" He tapped Riku's shoulder and ran off the edge of the ship to use flowmotion and leap over to the other ship to greet Jack who was "supervising" the crew. "JACK!!"

"Captain Sora approaching port side! At ease, men!" He waved off the crew before greeting Sora. "Wonderful to see ya, lad! Here to cause more trouble, no doubt?"

"Ha! You know it!" Sora laughed just as Riku plopped onto the deck right behind him. "Oh, Jack, this is Riku! Riku, this is--"

"Captain Jack Sparrow!" Riku finished for him and tipped his hat in greeting. "I've heard of you."

Jack grinned toothily and leaned towards Sora, "I like him. And his hat."

"Yeah yeah, we all like the hat," Sora rolled his eyes.

"Salty are ye?" the captain cackled. "So what brings you boys to port?"

"We're just visiting. Thinking about giving my friend here the grand tour of the high seas. What about you?"

"Unfortunately we're out of commission for a fair bit," Jack scoffed bitterly. "Thar be many a few unfriendly bilge rats posing as pirates along the islands. The type that are up your alley, I dare say."

"Really? Then we should definitely take a look. Mind pointing us in the right direction?"

The seasoned captain circled the problematic areas on Sora's map for him and explained how new rows of mysterious vessels have been plundering the seas and blocking all access routes. At first they wondered if they were foreign vessels but Jack claimed he had it on good authority that they are as thoroughly annoyed as they were about their new "visitors". At first he claimed to have found it amusing, after all his ship was the fastest and thereby the most stealthy, and for a while they were the only ones out there enjoying the open waters. But when the numbers increased, there were fewer sources to plunder and then it just wasn't good for business anymore. Despite his best judgement, they and a few other ships tried to take out a few of the smaller vessels but they were quite unmatched. "Didn't even get a chance to hoist the colors," he growled.

While the "captains" were talking, Mr. Gibbs was regalling Riku with stories of Jack's adventures, including the ones where he saddled sea turtles, got chased by antelope, and now their more recent adventures in the search for the fountain of youth.

"So what can you tell me about the crabs?" Riku asked in earnest but Mr. Gibbs only laughed at him and continued helping out the rest of the crew, much to Riku's confusion.

After getting the 411 from Jack, Sora was enthusiastic about setting sail so despite Jack's invitation to join them at the local pub, the two insisted they should get going. As Sora followed the map and controlled the ship, it wasn't too long until they came into a dense fog so they had to reduce their speed rather quickly so as not to run into anything.

"He didn't say anything about fog," Sora pouted.

"Something wrong, "Captain"?" Riku teased.

"Not at all," Sora huffed and summoned his keyblade. "We'll just blow it away! Shall we?"

"Yes, let's," the silverette agreed and summoned Braveheart. Together, the two of them cast aeroga to blast the fog away only to find they were surrounded by heartless ships!

"It appears we've been spotted," Sora gulped as hundreds of beady glowing eyes on board the surrounding vessels pointed in their direction and they heard the tell-tale noises of cannons being prepared to launch. No sooner had he sad that, one small cannon ball shot from the left side and crashed right into him, sending him flying into the other side of the ship. Luckily it mostly bounced off his chest plate but it still took him for a ride and he wasn't too pleased with that. "HOIST THE COLORS!" he shouted as he brought himself to his feet.

"Are you crazy? We can't take all these out at once!"

"Watch me!" Sora shouted.

True to his word, Sora shouted orders for when to shield and when to shoot. Eventually both built up their magic to send the ship flying over all of the ships that they hadn't blasted away yet and with another turn around, they actually drove the ship through TWO ROWS of others, crashing each one into the other until the entire heartless fleet was sent to Davey Jones' locker!

"See! I told you this ship could handle anything!" Sora said proudly.

Riku huffed as he wiped the sweat from his brow. Sure, he was already tired, but Sora DID deliver as promised. "Alright, so what next?"

"Next...we find crabs!"

"Again with the crabs!?"

After they dropped anchor at one of the bigger islands, Sora eagerly dived into the ocean with Riku following right behind him. Together they found the little white crabs to repair the beating their ship took and even found a few treasures buried amongst the wreckage of other ships in the water's depths. After which, they headed to land to rest on the beach and watched as the eerie fog started clearing up to reveal a familiar ship heading their way. The Black Pearl was already out on the open sea!

"Hey! It's Jack!" Sora pointed excitedly and air hopped back to the ship to wave at the nearby vessel. Frantically he waved at the other captain and shouted as loudly as he could, "Permission to come aboard, Captain!"

"Permission granted!" the captain shouted back. "Drop anchor, you scallywags!"

When Riku and Sora hopped back aboard the legendary vessel for the second time that day, they were amazed to see it not looking much better than before but the crew insisted that it was in good shape. "I thought you guys were staying at port for a while?" Sora asked.

"We were, but when we caught word of your success, we decided to take advantage of the opening you've provided," the sly captain grinned.

"So you get to sail pretty while we do all the work? How is that fair?" Sora asked with his fists on his hips.

"Pirate!" he reminded him.

"Oh right," Sora snapped his fingers while Riku laughed. He had totally been got.

"Aye, but rest assured your efforts are much appreciated. If it should please you, I can offer you more information regarding the whereabouts of their leader," he offered.

"Wait, why didn't you say that first?" Sora deflated.

"Well I'm saying it now. So come, I'll mark the spot on your map where you may find said beastie," he waved him over to the wheel so he could show Sora his own map of all the spots they've encountered the supposed leader of the heartless that have been plaguing the local waters. Meanwhile the crew filled Riku in on what it looked like, claiming it to be a gruesome-looking creature with giant anchors for arms, standing four stories tall, and smelling like the twice-rotted carcass of a gutted beached whale. 

Sora handed over his map for the captain to mark but when he rolled it up to hand it back to Sora. But when Sora reached for it, he held his grip on it as he stared down at his exposed left wrist. "Been branded, young Sora?"

The brunette averted his gaze, "Yeah." When Jack released his grip, he adjusted his sleeve to better hide the star-shaped scar.

"Don't fret, lad. To wear one's scars proudly is the mark of a true pirate," the captain assured him with a hand on his shoulder before showing him the P branding on his own wrist.

Sora grinned broadly, "Thanks, Jack. I'll remember that."

"Now run along. Don't you have some work to do?" the elder grinned.

"What, now you're eager to get rid of me? Afraid I'll nab all the good loot for myself?"

"Watch your back, Captain Sora!" the pirate playfully warned. "And safe travels!"

"You too, Jack! I hope you find what you're looking for," Sora smiled and grabbed Riku's hand as they waved good-bye and hopped off the ship.

The two waved good-bye as they watched the ship disappear on the horizon. By now the sun was already beginning to set and both found they were getting rather hungry. At Sora's suggestion, the two ventured to the lower deck to check out the kitchen and found that a spread of meats and fruit was already provided!

"Let me guess...crabs?" Riku asked with mild exasperation.

"Crabs!"

"Will it taste like crab?" the elder teen eyed it suspiciously.

"I don't think so? Honestly, I'm too hungry to even care."

"Fair."

Thankfully it didn't taste like crabs and the two stuffed themselves silly. When it came time for them to turn in for the night, Sora stood and walked to the captain's quarters with Riku following behind, but Sora stopped him at the door.

"Sorry, these are the captain's quarters," he grinned cheekily. "First mates sleep below deck."

"Oh really?" Riku narrowed his eyes. "Guess I'll go then. Sleep well, "captain"," Riku said blankly as he turned on his heel and made way to head back downstairs.

"Hey! Wait! Oh come on, Riku! I was only joking!" Sora wailed and grabbed for Riku's wrist.

With an evil grin, Riku whipped around and started backing Sora into the luxurious captain's quarters. "So what you're saying is, if I stay here, that means I'm captain?"

"No, that's not what that means!" Sora whined as Riku pinned him against one of the supporting pillars. "Come on, Riku! You're not playing fair!"

"Pirate~" the taller teen smirked as he captured Sora's lips roughly with his own, knocking off both their hats in the process.

"Mmmph!" Sora gasped into the other's mouth and clutched at Riku's lapels while he fought Riku's tongue off with his own. The heels of his boots gave him some extra height but he still had to stand on his toes to get any traction.

In no time at all, it was already clear who the victor was as they raced to rid each other of their multiple layers of clothing, only parting for the barest of seconds while jackets, vests, and shirts were being discarded. When the boots, stockings, and trousers finally came off, their hands were back onto each other as they stumbled backwards toward the bed.

Once Riku heard Sora's heels knock against the base of the elaborately carved bed he broke the kiss and asked slyly, "Permission to come aboard, captain?" 

"Permission granted," Sora replied breathlessly and in one fell swoop, Riku scooped him off his feet to place him onto the bed. But as soon as his head hit the pillow and he sank into the feather down mattress, everything went black.

When Riku tugged the sheets down from beneath Sora and crawled onto the bed to join him, he noticed the smaller teen stopped moving and looked at is face to see that he appeared to have fallen asleep. "Sora?" he blinked and poked his cheek a couple of times to see if he would get a reaction but all that escaped the brunette was a loud snore which Riku couldn't help snickering at. "So that's how it is." With a sigh he collapsed next to Sora and pulled the blankets over the both of them. With Sora sprawled out, Riku decided to just cuddle up into his side so he didn't disturb him and kissed him on the cheek. "I knew it. You really were tired after all," he smiled as he watched his eyelashes flutter and catch the moonlight that poured in through the window. With a contented sigh, he wrapped an arm around him and settled his own head down to get some rest. "Good night, Sora."

\- * - * - * - * -

_Yo ho, yo ho, a pirate's life for me~_

Alarms were blaring and red lights were flashing amidst a computerized neon landscape. A cloaked figure effortlessly broke through many walls of defenses with a giant key as he casually entered the hall of the computer main frame.

_We pillage, we plunder, we rifle, and loot. Drink up, me hearties, yo ho~_

"Stop! You're under arrest!" the security programs shouted as they attempted to detain the intruder.

_We kidnap and ravage and don't give a hoot~_ The intruder grinned as he eliminated all that stood in his way with just a swipe of his key-shaped blade. Within his reach was the main console that held the information he was looking for.

His fingers roamed effortlessly over the keys and many images of a spikey-haired brunette appeared on-screen alongside pages upon pages of supporting data.

"Drink up me hearties, yo ho~"


	38. Dreams of Fairy Tales, Terrors of Reality

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's all fun and games for Sora and Riku until reality wakes them from their dreams. As the two sail the seas of their dreaming and waking states, Sora recalls feelings he thought he had already dealt with after he's reminded of the fragility of his current position in the universe.

_We're devils and black sheep, really bad eggs  
Drink up, me 'earties, yo ho~  
Yo ho, yo ho, a pirate's life for me  
We're beggars and blighters, ne'er-do-well cads  
Drink up, me 'earties, yo ho~  
Aye, but we're loved by our mommies and dads  
Drink up, me 'earties, yo ho! _

Riku heard the silly pirate shanty before he even opened his eyes. He felt like he was gently rocking and he could see many lights through his eyelids. When he dared to open them, he was greeted with the sight of a brilliantly lit pirate ship manned by dreameaters in all various states of adorable pirate dress. He found himself standing on deck and looked up to see Sora in the crow's nest with meow-wow clutched in his arms, the little blue creature also dressed all pirate-y to the nines with a cute little black hat, eyepatch, and wooden sword belted around its waist. Sora himself was dressed similarly to his waking self, but much more colorful, his coat a bright red and his hat large and floppy with a giant peacock feather sticking out of the top. As he bounced and sang, he pointed at the stars which seemed to be getting closer and closer. "Wait..." Riku hurried to the side of the dreamy ship to find that land was getting further and further away as the ship was flying to sail through the skies!

As he looked over the railing, Komory Bat nudged him from behind, earning a chuckle from the silver-haired teen as he greeted it with a soft pet. "Hey there!" The yellow and pink creature happily squealed and nuzzled Riku, perching on his back affectionately.

From the crow's nest, Sora finally noticed Riku and shouted, "Welcome aboard!" as he waved down to him. Together with meow-wow clutched tightly to himself, the playful pirate jumped down from the crow's nest to land deftly in front of Riku. "You here to play with us?"

"I guess," Riku chuckled. "It seems I've been wandering into your dreams a lot lately."

"Well of course!" the other grinned widely. "You're always welcome here. With our connection so wide open, it's no wonder if you stumble in unintentionally every now and then."

"You almost sound like you know what you're talking about," Riku eyed him suspiciously.

"Well, let's just say I've done my fair share of accidental wandering, or so I've been told. I don't really understand it, but it does happen," he explained, almost sounding guilty as he said it.

"I see," Riku shrugged and eyed the content-looking meow-wow clutched in Sora's arms. "Looks like somebody's playing the little slacker~"

Meow-wow squeaked indignantly and turned his eyes green at Riku, earning a laugh from both of them as his little body wriggled in Sora's grasp. Chuckling, Sora calmed the little dream eater by scratching it behind the ears and its eyes immediately turned pink again. "Meow-wow doesn't have to work because he's best boy~ Yes he is~"

Riku huffed, "And how is that fair to the others?"

"Hey, everybody gets a turn to be best boy!" Sora laughed. "It just happens to be his turn. Why? Are you jealous?" Sora eyed him smugly, as he scooched closer to look into Riku's eyes.

Riku quickly turned around so Sora couldn't see his eyes and Komory Bat spread its pink wings to help block Sora, thinking they were playing some sort of game. "I'm not jealous," Riku pouted with his arms crossed. Though as he said this, all the other dream eaters within ear shot made little noises as if to call him out on his bluff. "I'm not!"

"Hehe!" Sora laughed good-naturedly and gave meow-wow one more squeeze. "Mind the crew, Bumpis!" before letting him go and grabbing Riku's hand. "Come on, let's go to the captain's quarters."

"Why? Aren't you flying the ship?" Riku asked.

"Don't worry! Komory's got that covered, right?" Sora winked to the bat which squeaked happily before flying over to the helm.

"But, he doesn't even have--Oh never mind," Riku groaned as Sora yanked him inside the main cabin.

Inside the captain's quarters it was so colorful and bright that Riku thought he walked into a pirate-themed candy shop. It had red and black drapings but everything had multi-colored fairy lights draped over it and in the center was a large table covered in dream eater sweets. Said sweets were so plentiful that they spilled over into multiple treasure chests spread out all over the floor. In the far side of the room, he could see an open closet just stuffed with different pirate outfits and accessories, but like those from a kids costume store. It looks like it's already been raided more than once as many different elaborate hats were hung up or thrown everywhere in that general vicinity. From the surrounding windows, he could tell they were really high up in the air as the ship flew through clouds and shooting stars with rainbow tails appeared to be zipping by. _His dreams are so colorful when he's happy._

The sound of Sora closing the door brought him out of his thoughts and he turned around to see Sora looking straight into his eyes again. "I knew it~" the brunette grinned cheekily.

"What?" Riku back away, his cheeks burning as it felt like those blue eyes were looking straight into his soul. He still hadn't seen his eyes change color for himself, only going by Sora's word and what he's seen happen with the other dream eaters so he couldn't help feeling somewhat betrayed by them whenever Sora looks at him like that. Stubbornly he closed his eyes so Sora can't see.

"Hey! Come on, you don't need to hide from me!"

He could hear the pout in his voice even without opening his eyes. "I'm not hiding," he protested.

"Uh-huh, sure. You don't have to be embarrassed about being honest, Riku," the brunette laughed cutely. 

"Honest?" Riku could feel the toes of Sora's boots knocking into his shoes and instinctively started backing away until he tripped and fell back and landed on what felt like a large bean bag chair.

"Yes," Sora answered simply as he kneeled to straddle Riku's hips. "About what you're feeling."

Riku felt the bean bag chair give as Sora applied his weight and felt the warmth of his thighs surrounding his hips but he didn't dare open his eyes. "I meant it, though. I'm not jealous."

"Hmm...envious, then?" Sora suggested as he leaned in close and ran his hands over Riku's abs and pecs to gently rub his shoulders.

Riku gasped as he felt Sora's hands roam over his body and groaned as his fingers delicately worked his shoulders, pushing his jacket aside and pulling it down to rid him of it completely. "Maybe..." he admitted.

Sora leaned further into Riku, causing the both of them to sink further into the large cushion as he kissed him softly. When they connected he could feel sparks going off for both of them and he smiled against Riku's lips as he sensed his dream eater's stats rising. As he deepened the kiss further and playfully dipped his tongue into Riku's warm cavern he could hear something ringing in his ears.

_Oath of the Stars_

Riku felt something that made his heart pound hard in his chest and it just wasn't from the attention Sora was giving him either. His eyes flew open as Sora pulled away. "You felt that too?"

"Sure did," Sora giggled as he reached a hand to cup Riku's cheek and brush a thumb over his pinkened lips.

Riku drank in the sight of Sora beaming happily down on him while backlit with the fairy lights strung from the ceiling. He just couldn't get enough of his sweet, smiling face. How long has it been since he's seen him like this? As he remembered the events at the lab a few days ago, he wrapped his arms around Sora's waist to pull him even closer, burying his face into his feathery locks.

"Why are you so sad, Riku?" Sora asked softly as he melted into the other male's strong embrace.

"What happened at the lab...what you went through," Riku sharply inhaled as it pained his heart to remember. "It all feels pointless now. My heart told me we shouldn't have done it. You could've avoided so much unnecessary pain."

Sora sighed and reached a hand up to cup the back of Riku's head to run his fingers through his hair and gently knead his scalp. "Even so, thank you for letting me listen to mine. Something tells me it may not have been so pointless after all. I don't know why just yet, but even if I never find out, I'm just so glad you were there for me."

Riku winced as his heart ached, "You're so much stronger than I am, Sora."

"Silly, it's because I have you. We make each other strong. I believe that with all my heart and I know you do too because I feel it every day."

Before Riku could even respond, the ship shook violently and teetered back and forth. Sora nearly rolled off of Riku but the elder teen kept a tight grip on him and cradled his head as the two skid across the floor and slammed into the wall.

"Riku! Are you okay?" Sora got to his knees to check him over. But before Riku could even answer, the ship shuddered violently again and Riku sat up to keep Sora upright. "We're under attack!" Sora shouted as he stood to his feet. "They want our booty!"

Riku blinked away the stars in his eyes as he got to his feet. "They want what!?"

Sora indicated to the piles of cookies and sweets scattered everywhere. "They want our treasure!" he explained before ripping the door open and running out on deck. "PREPARE THE CANNONS!"

Before Riku could even comment on the situation, Sora was already out the door shouting orders so he grabbed his jacket and quickly followed after him while trying to keep steady footing as the ship continued to rock and shake. Everything on deck was absolute chaos as dream eaters ran left and right in full-blown panic as they prepared to take on the approaching threat, A GIANT BLACK NIGHTMARE SHIP MANNED BY NIGHTMARE MEOW-WOWS!

"Come on, Riku!" Sora shouted from the crow's nest. "Help me out!"

"Right!" Riku sprinted up the pole and grabbed Sora's reaching hand. Together they flew into the sky and glided towards the enemy ship.

"Let's try it out, Riku!" Sora shouted excitedly as he summoned his keyblade.

"Okay!" Riku agreed and summoned Braveheart. Together their hearts worked as one and the surrounding stars seemed to respond to their combined light by shining so brightly that it stunned the all the nightmares scurrying on the deck of the large black ship who squealed angrily and ran into each other blindly in their panic, some even falling off the deck and plummeting to the ground below.

_STAR STUNNER!_

The two took advantage of the disabled nightmares and started attacking the hull of the ship directly, hacking and slashing at the cursed timber until they were able to charge their final attack!

_METEOR BOND!_

From the sky, hundreds of meteors made of light with tails of darkness flew towards the enemy ship, punching holes everywhere and sending the nightmares to oblivion until the entire vessel disappeared in a puff of black smoke. Down below, the dream eaters cheered and applauded the duo and tons of cookies started raining down onto the brightly lit ship from where the nightmares once were.

_Do de doooooooooo~ Do do de do doooooooooooo~_

Sora and Riku stirred awake. The sounds of gulls could be heard outside and the ship was gently rocking with the tide. Both sets of sleepy eyes turned towards the offending noise that pulled them from their sleep. Both gummi phones were ringing and vibrating angrily on the floor where they discarded their clothes the previous evening.

With a groan, Sora rolled out of bed first and grabbed his trousers to fish the phone out his pocket and Riku wasn't too far behind. Both sort of in a zombie state as they wordlessly and automatically hit the green buttons on the screen and answered "Hello?"

"SORA! RIKU!!" Kairi shouted over both phones. Apparently she had used the group call feature. "The database has been hacked!! They stole Sora's data!"

"WHAT!?" Riku shouted.

"Whoa, slow down, Kairi!" Sora reacted much differently, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes and yawning loudly. "What do you mean by that?"

"I mean somebody bypassed Tron and the other security programs we had in place and STOLE. YOUR. DATA!" Kairi shouted, clearly annoyed by Sora's lack of understanding.

"Wait, is Tron alright!?" Sora asked as he minimized the call screen and jammed his thumb over the Tron icon for the app on his phone. "Tron! Are you there??"

"I'm here, Sora! Don't worry, I'm alright."

"What happened?" Riku asked as he sat next to Sora so that they could talk to Tron and Kairi at the same time.

"An outside user bypassed our firewalls and security programs to steal Sora's medical data as well as the data from the recent experiments. He appeared to be using the same method that Sora used when he was in the datascape. He wielded a key-shaped weapon that enabled him to bypass all of our defenses," Tron explained and pulled up an image of a cloaked man with what the two recognized to be Xehanort's keyblade.

"It's the Master of Masters!" Sora shouted.

"We found suspicious activity in the datascape weeks ago, but it was activity outside our own servers so we had very limited access to it. According to Ansem, the Master of Masters bypassed the firewalls to access our network," Kairi explained.

A lot of this was way over Sora's head. But he tried thinking of it in terms he could understand. "So he used his computer to access Ansem's computer...through the datascape?"

"That's the gist of it, yeah," Kairi answered.

"And he stole Sora's medical data? That can't be good," Riku growled.

"Right," Tron agreed. "But there's some good news. We were able to identify his IP address when he accessed the server."

"IP address?" Sora tilted his head. "Like...a location?"

"That's right, Sora. It may lead us to where he's located. Of course, it could be a dead end. But it's worth having a go. We're already hard at work tracing the address to his actual location. So we'll keep you posted."

"In the meantime, you two, BE CAREFUL!" Kairi warned. "I just checked the updated access history and it appears he may have looked at Riku's data too!"

"What data do you have on Riku?" Sora asked.

"Everything the Organization has compiled as well as information from Jiminy's journals is in here, Sora," Kairi explained.

"Oh great," Riku grumbled. "Alright, we'll stay on the look out. Keep us posted!"

"Right! See you!" Both phones clicked as Kairi hung up.

"I'm already updating our security and repairing the firewalls," Tron stated. "I'll update you as soon as we have that location."

"Thanks, Tron! Glad to hear you're okay!" Sora waved to the program before turning off the app. "I can't believe this..." the brunette slumped against Riku. "I feel so violated."

Riku wrapped his arms around the smaller teen and pulled him close. "Yeah. I'm sure it's similar to how I felt when I found out the Organization made a replica of me."

"Yeah," Sora nodded as he buried his nose into the crook of Riku's neck. "But it's not just our data...they now have video of me when I was most vulnerable."

"It's disgusting," Riku agreed, now having yet another reason to hate those experiments.

"But...if this has led to us getting their location, maybe it's all worth it," Sora pulled back to smile at Riku. "Right?"

"Maybe," Riku sighed and pressed his forehead to Sora's. "Are you going to be okay?"

"Yeah," the brunette whispered softly. "As long as we have each other, I'll be okay."

After the two grabbed something to eat and checked everything on the ship, they planned their course in search of the "big beastie" in charge of the heartless armada that's been pillaging the local waters. As they sailed in open water, they found the seas to be calm and almost too quiet for Sora's liking.

"Something's not right," he pouted as he lazily held the wheel. "Usually there's always a creepy fog that sneaks up on me eventually! I feel like they're avoiding us!"

"That's probably because they are," Riku shouted from the crow's nest. "There's nothing but open ocean for miles! Or maybe they're docked somewhere on all these little spits of land!"

"Wait..." Sora straightened up in realization. "What if they're UNDERNEATH the water?"

"Underneath?" Riku asked. "What makes you say that?"

"There are tons of ships that have run aground or sank around here. What if the heartless are commandeering those ships? We should go to the Ship Graveyard next!"

"Aye-aye."

After a couple of hours of smooth sailing, the air became thick with fog and the winds started to still. Sora tried in vain to navigate them through the dense mist for several hours but by the time they got out, the winds were too calm to feed the sails and night had fallen. The two had already exhausted their magic by this point and by the time they came to a stop, they could make out the Ship Graveyard in the distance. So close, but too far for the time being. Exhausted, Sora leaned over the railing and stared up at the stars. "Maybe we should wait until morning..." he glanced down at the calm sea to see it as smooth as glass, almost eerily so. But then ripples across its surface caught his eye and he looked to the right to see many small one-man boats, each lit with a singular lantern quietly drifting across the sea.

Sora's heart clenched as the realization hit him and the sounds of many soft faraway voices reached his ears. He rested his head on his arms as he watched them, the soft candlelight of each boat reflected in his sapphire eyes as they lazily drifted past, their passengers not even acknowledging the larger vessel as their eyes were trained on their destination.

Riku observed Sora leaning on the railing and assumed he was down because of them getting lost. He hopped down from the crow's nest to walk over to Sora and placed a hand on his shoulder. "Hey, cheer up. It took a while, but you got us there. We'll just take a crack at it tomorrow."

"Hm..." Sora kept staring ahead, Riku's words barely reaching him as he watched the parade of the departed continue their journey. He knows Riku can't see what he's seeing so he just reaches up and puts a hand over the one on his shoulder. "I'm just remembering why being a pirate isn't as always as great as what the fairy tales make it out to be."

When Sora placed his hand over Riku's, the silver-haired teen felt sadness as their hearts connected. Confused, he looked over the side of the ship and his eyes widened as he saw rows of blue lights lazily drifting across the water, all heading northward. He swallowed hard as he feared what the lights meant. "Where are they going?" he asked quietly.

Sora squeezed Riku's hand reassuringly. "Somewhere they don't have to worry anymore. Somewhere hurt can't reach them." He felt his voice break and he struggled to blink away his tears as he watched the last of the boaters fade and disappear under the moonlight. At last the ocean seemed to move again and their boat softly rocked with the gentle waves. With a sigh, Sora straightened up and wiped his eyes on the back of his sleeve. "I feel really tired," he admitted.

"Then let's drop anchor and sleep. We can start looking again tomorrow," Riku offered.

"Yeah, let's do that," the brunette agreed.

After they secured the ship, they went below deck to indulge in another crab-provided meal, but Sora found he could barely eat anything. The teen poked at his pork and mashed potatoes with a fork as he propped his head up on his fist.

"Do you want to talk about it?" Riku asked after he watched Sora stir the same piece of food into his potatoes and peas for five minutes straight. It was awful seeing Sora this down after seeing so happy before.

"Not really," Sora sighed. "I was just thinking about Will and Elizabeth. I wonder if they're doing okay." He told Riku all about what happened the last time he was here and how Will has been tasked with his new fate, only to see Elizabeth on land for one day every ten years. "I worried that one day wasn't enough time. But Jack said there's always enough time for hearts to say what's true. But...not everybody is that lucky."

"Sora..."

The brunette dropped his fork with a clatter and buried his face into his hands, groaning in frustration at himself and his wandering thoughts. "I'm sorry, I know I'm not making any sense. I don't know why I keep thinking about it...that place...I just want to move on!"

Riku abandoned his plate and scooched his chair loudly as he rushed over to gather Sora into a hug. When the smaller teen started sobbing into his shoulder, he rubbed his back in soothing circles as he let him cry it out. "It's okay. You're allowed to cry. You're allowed to be sad," he whispered reassuringly. "I'll be here for you no matter what. If you need to scream, I'll listen. Even if you don't want to talk about it, I'll be here to hold you."

When Sora finally calmed, he clutched at Riku's shirt and sniffled as he heard Riku's words. "I'm sorry, Riku. I'm so tired. I just want to sleep."

"Don't be sorry," Riku soothed as he pressed a kiss to Sora's temple. "Let's just go to bed."

Back in the captain's chambers, Sora mostly kept to himself and locked himself in the bathroom for about half an hour. When he finally emerged in a long billowy white gown, Riku couldn't keep the wide smile off his face, which Sora caught onto really quick. "What?"

"What are you wearing?" Riku smirked.

"It's a night dress! It's comfy!" the brunette insisted.

"Where did you find that?"

"In the wardrobe. Go on, don't knock it 'til you try it! Besides, it's going to get cold," he warned.

"Fine, fine," the silverette chuckled and did as Sora suggested. The long cotton gown WAS pretty comfy, but he did feel pretty silly. Nevertheless, it brought a smile to Sora's face so he wasn't mad about it either. "You ready for bed?"

"Yeah," Sora smiled and climbed the bunk, scooching far over so Riku could join him. As soon as the taller teen climbed in, Sora pulled the blankets over them both and cuddled into his side. When he felt a strong arm wrap around him and pull him close, he sighed contently and laced an arm over Riku's chest so he could feel the other's heart beat steadily against his palm. "Riku?"

"Hm?" Riku hummed as he closed his eyes.

"Will you visit my dreams again tonight?" Sora whispered as he felt sleep approaching.

"I will if you want me to."

"I'd like that," the brunette sighed as he drifted off.

"Then I will," the other teen promised as he heard Sora's breathing deepen. "Good night, Sora."


	39. Sky of Dreams, Sea of Nightmares

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sora and Riku's teamwork is put to the test as they take on the darkness that plagues the high seas.

"Sora..." the older teen groaned.

"Yes, Riku?"

"Why are you on top of me?"

"Well, I was waiting for you to show up."

"That doesn't really answer my question."

The two are on a bed of clouds amongst a sea of stars, but the stars look more like sugar candy and were as bright as fairy lights. Riku was beginning to see a trend here. A giant heart-shaped moon hung high in the sky but thankfully it didn't give off the ominous glow that he's used to associating it with.

"I really wanted some time alone with you. Just the two of us," Sora explained as he melded further into Riku.

"About earlier..." Riku asked gently.

"I'm okay. Really," Sora assured him.

"How long have you been seeing--"

"Since the Keyblade Graveyard," the brunette answered abruptly. "When I brought everybody back and we fought the demon tide, I saw somebody in there. He helped me. But it's not just seeing things. I can hear them too."

"I see."

"I know. It seems weird. And it's kind of scary sometimes," the brunette confessed. "But I've accepted that this is just how things are now. Hearts are all connected, even if they are no longer with us," he put a hand over his own chest. "I've connected with so many on the other side, too. But you're like me too...Right, Riku? You can sense things others can't because of what you've gone through."

"That's right," Riku admitted softly.

"Does it bother you?" Sora asked as he fingered the lapels on the elder teen's jacket.

"It used to, back when I could sense the thing I hated on myself. But I've learned to embrace it," Riku explained as he trailed his fingers up and down Sora's spine.

"What's it like for you?" Sora asked curiously.

"I can...smell darkness," he said it slowly and braced himself for the laugh that was sure to follow.

"You can?" Sora's eyes widened, "Wait, could you smell it on me?"

"Uh...Yes?" Riku scratched his cheek. He didn't exactly expect that sort of follow-up question. "But it's very faint now," he added.

The brunette appeared crestfallen. "Do I smell bad?"

"Absolutely not!" Riku assured him almost too loudly. "I mean, it's different with you. Because beneath it all, you're still you...and I like it very much."

Sora blushed a cute shade of pink, "I like how you smell too, Riku."

"Okay, now don't make it weird," the elder teen scolded playfully.

"I'm not trying to!!" the brunette insisted.

"Here I am, trying to connect--"

"That's not--"

"And now you're making fun of me!" he shouted dramatically.

"Riku, come on!" Sora flailed. "I'm not making fun and you know it! Stop being mean!"

Riku chortled and hugged the flailing teen close. "I know, I'm just messing with you."

Sora giggled too and straightened up, though still refusing to actually separate himself from Riku more than he deemed necessary. As he straddled Riku's hips, he studied his face serenely with a small smile as he took in the gorgeous sight of the silver-haired teen below him all splayed out on the nest of clouds.

Riku's eyes searched Sora's smiling face, a blush slowly creeping to his own face as the teen continued to give him a half-lidded stare. "What is it?"

"It's just...I was wondering...um..."

"Yes?"

"If you'd like to experiment," the brunette averted his eyes shyly.

Riku was really starting to hate that word. "With?"

"How we're connected!" he beamed as if it were obvious.

"Huh?"

"With a big battle coming up tomorrow, I thought we could see if we can get stronger somehow...together."

Riku groaned, "You're sure you're not suggesting this just to toy with me?"

"Why? Don't you like it when I play with you?" Sora smirked as he leaned closer.

The other teen's eyes widened, "Th-that's not what I meant!"

"So what's the problem?" the brunette asked cheekily.

"There's no problem--"

"So it's okay, then?"

"I..." he sighed, "Fine."

Sora giggled and leaned in to kiss him, "I promise I'll ask permission before I do anything~"

"Okay..." Riku closed his eyes.

"Just tell me if I do something you don't like."

"Sora..."

The brunette suddenly whips out a tablet like the one they use to check the stats of the dream eaters in the nursery and Riku's head falls back into the clouds with yet another groan. _Of course that's what he meant..._

Sora dismounted Riku's hips to flop beside him on the bed of clouds, crossing on leg over the other to get comfy. "Wow, Riku! You have so many unused points!"

"I'm saving them," he grumbled, still refusing to look at Sora.

"Oh really?" Sora eyed him suspiciously. "Sure it's not because you can't apply them yourself? Hm? Hmmmmm?"

"Yes, I can!" Riku huffed. "But only when I'm in your dreams and lately I've been too busy to sit around and play with myself," the silver-haired teen sneered as he reached over and poked the tip of Sora's nose.

"Hehe, you said--"

"I said what I said," Riku huffed. "So how about you hand it over and let me check for myself?"

"Nuh-uh, I'm looking first, hehe~" Sora snickered as he scrolled down Riku's stats. "Wait, you're already maxed out on the things you can do yourself!"

"What? That can't be right!" Riku sat up and easily snatched the tablet from Sora to look. "See, I can upgrade this!" he insisted and tapped one of the options on the screen but no matter how many times he pressed it, it wouldn't activate. "What??"

"Let me see!" Sora snatched it back and pressed it for himself. Sure enough, Riku got a speed boost. "Oh, would you look at that~"

"I don't like this..." Riku admitted, suddenly feeling very guarded. He didn't like the idea of somebody having control over him like this, even if it is Sora.

"Riku..." Sora caught on very quickly to the change in Riku's tone and handed him the tablet. "You pick and I'll just touch the buttons for you. How's that?"

"I'd like that," Riku smiled and accepted the tablet. Together the two upgraded both their stats and improved some of their link forms. It wasn't entirely clear if any of this would have any effect on them in the waking world, but it was still nice to have something to work on together. Eventually, they came across a skill for Riku that he really wanted but he was short on just a couple of SP. "Guess I'll have to wait until next time."

"Are you kidding? I know how to get you those SP," Sora grinned and set the tablet aside for the time being.

"Sora...you've told me about how my eyes change color before?"

"Yeah?"

"I've seen it happen with the other dream eaters but I haven't seen it for myself," he admitted.

"I see," Sora smiled. "I think I can help you with that. I just gotta push the right buttons, is all."

"Are you going to make me regret asking?" Riku narrowed his eyes at him warily.

The brunette just laughed and sat up to straddle Riku's waist once more, "I'll do my best not to. I make no guarantees, though."

"Greeeeat," the elder male rolled his eyes but he gripped Sora's hips all the same.

"So right now, they're bright blue!" Sora started as he dug around in his pockets.

"Well I knew THAT," Riku scoffed. "Did you forget what color my eyes usually are?"

"Your eyes are a different KIND of bright blue when you're a dream eater, smart ass," the smaller teen smirked and finally pulled out a pocket mirror from his giant pockets to show Riku. "See?"

"Hey, you're right...it's subtle, but they're bright."

"Of course I'm right," the brunette gave a big cheesy grin before setting the mirror aside for now. "But like you said, this is how they usually are. Strong...supportive..." he trailed off as he gazed into Riku's cyan orbs fondly.

The silver-haired teen could already feel a blush growing on his cheeks, "And then?"

"And then...there's green. I usually see it when you're being especially protective or a complete badass. It's so cool!" Sora gushed. "But I also see it for a split second when you're healing me."

"You do?"

"Yeah," he answered softly. "It's so pretty..." Again, he trailed off as he cupped Riku's cheek and ran his thumb over the delicate curvature of his cheekbone. "I saw it on Mt. Olympus and even without seeing it, I could tell they were probably green when we were at the lab. Hehe, I even see it when you're kind of possessive."

Just Sora mentioning the lab stirred something in Riku, causing him to grit his teeth despite the brunette's soft touches. Reflexively, he moved his hands to wrap his arms completely around the straddling teen's thin waist, eliciting a sweet giggle from him.

"Aww, Riku~" Sora cooed, grabbing the mirror so he could show him that his eyes did in fact turn green. "You're so sweet."

Riku let out a small gasp as he took in the striking emerald color of his eyes, taking the mirror from Sora so he could see more clearly for himself. But as he heard a pleased noise come from the brunette, he felt his previous feelings melt away and the color disappeared as quickly as it had came. "Back in Arendelle, you said my eyes were yellow?"

"Mm-hmm. Full on support mode. With you, I see it as you'll go so far to look out for me that you'll ignore your own needs. But I've also seen them turn yellow when you're being kind of sneaky," Sora snickered.

"Sneaky? Me? Never!" Riku grinned.

"Oh really?" Sora eyed him mischievously before he started attacking Riku's middle. "TAKE THIS!"

"HEY!" Riku yelped as Sora suddenly started tickling him. He tried to bat the other's hands away but those hands were just way too quick for him and just as they started going for his armpits, he snatched Sora by the shoulders and flipped them over so he was on top. "HA!"

The brunette hit the clouds with a quiet "Oof!" as Riku came out on top but he was pleased to see his teasing had the desired effect and pulled out the mirror again to show him. "See!" 

Riku took the mirror while keeping a finger stuck in the crook of Sora's neck to force him to flinch hard as he tried to avoid the tickling digit. He was relieved to see they were as yellow as Komory Bat's and not anything like the amber eyes he used to see only a year ago.

"R-Riku!" Sora gurgled as he tried to pry Riku's finger away from his neck. "You can stop tickling me now!"

"Nah, I don't think I will~"

"Staaaaaahp!"

Riku cackled and pulled his finger away to poke Sora in the tummy next, earning more squeals from the teen beneath him. "This is turning out to be a lot of fun~"

"RIKUUUUUUUU!!" Sora flailed as he tried to bat the taller teen's hands away. "Come onnnn!!"

"And why should I?" Riku asked, biting his lower lip as he poked Sora over and over.

"Or I'll make you pink next!" the brunette threatened as he grabbed Riku's wrist.

That did it. Riku immediately stilled for a moment and Sora took the opening to pull himself up and aggressively kissed Riku before he snapped out of it. While the elder teen quickly became distracted by competing with Sora's tongue, Sora wrapped his arms around Riku and dove his fingers beneath the bottom of his shirt to run his fingertips over the dream eater symbol etched into his back. The brief contact alone was enough to make Riku moan loudly, his spine arching beneath Sora's hands. "S-Sora!"

The smaller teen panted and kissed across Riku's jawline as he recovered from their intense kiss, eventually reaching Riku's earlobe which he nibbled on delicately, earning more gasps from the teen as he gripped Sora tightly. When Sora ran his finger over the mark again, Riku shuddered even more violently and gripped Sora so hard that his nails were beginning to dig into Sora's skin through his shirt. "Shh...it's okay," Sora whispered and pulled away just enough to grab the mirror one last time to show Riku.

Riku panted as he almost too roughly grabbed Sora's hand to forcibly bring it closer to himself. Sure enough, his face was flushed and his eyes were a glowing magenta. "I-I look..."

"Fierce," Sora finished for him as he kissed his cheek.

"I was going to say like a lovesick cartoon character," Riku corrected as he took the mirror from Sora and set it down with a huff.

"That might be partially true," Sora giggled. "I think it's sexy, though~"

"Oh you do, huh?" Riku smirked.

"Uh-huh~" the brunette confirmed as he brought their faces close to nuzzle his nose against the other's.

The gesture was so heartbreakingly cute that Riku felt himself melt and his aggressiveness from before waned.

"Blue again," Sora informed him.

"I think I've had enough fun," Riku said tiredly. "You're wearing me out."

"Hey, you asked!" the brunette reminded him as he disentangled himself from Riku.

"That's right, I did. I guess I didn't expect it to happen so fast," the silver-haired teen admitted as he pulled his shirts back down.

"It's easy when it's with you," Sora grinned cheekily.

"Oh what, now you're saying I'm easy?" Riku scoffed.

"You are when you're here! And it's not a bad thing," he insisted. "Besides, don't you think I'm easy to read too?"

"Yeah, you are," the elder teen smirked.

"So this just means we're always going to have the best teamwork, doesn't it?" Sora smiled affectionately as he grabbed Riku's hand.

"Yeah, I guess it does," Riku smiled.

A rough wave slapping the side of the ship forced Riku awake as he nearly rolled off the edge of the bunk. Clearly this bed wasn't meant for two people to sleep on in rocky waters. He barely gained enough awareness to grip the side of the frame before he tumbled off. Luckily Sora had his other arm pinned down with his body otherwise he probably would've ended up kissing the floor. Of course, said keyblade wielder was completely unaware of anything happening and barely even stirred. After a minute or so of watching Sora sleep, Riku decided he wanted to go wash his face but with the billowy night dress it was a little harder to separate from Sora than usual since a large portion of the fabric was also pinned beneath the brunette. After another minute of struggling, he decided to just yank himself free with all the precision and speed of a magician whisking away a table cloth from beneath a dinner setting.

Instead of having the desired effect, however, it caused Sora to go rolling in the opposite direction with so much force he slammed into the other side of the bed that was against the wall. "OW! What was that for!?"

"Uh, it's time to wake up!" Riku said simply as he grabbed his clothes and headed for the washroom.

"GRRRRR!!! THE CAPTAIN DECIDES WHEN IT'S TIME TO GET UP!" Sora shouted while waving his fist at Riku. "Insubordinate!" he huffed as Riku ignored him and closed the door.

When it was Sora's turn to use the washroom, Riku cupped him on the ass as he passed, making Sora fume AND blush. "RIKU!!!!" But the other teen simply ignored him as he walked out so he could continue brushing his teeth on deck. "_That guy..._" Sora grumbled as Riku headed on deck. 

Once both were fully dressed, they snacked on deck with a breakfast of fruit and crackers while they planned their next move.

"So the Ship Graveyard is pretty messy," Sora pointed out on the map with one hand while he snacked on an apple with the other. "We should probably drop anchor a fair distance away so we don't scrape the hull. If we run into trouble, we won't have enough time to find more crabs to fix it."

Riku raised an eyebrow. "So you're suggesting we SWIM? After you just said it's possible the heartless are under water?"

"I mean, I can glide. I don't know about you," Sora grinned.

"I can air step if there are enough platforms," Riku crossed his arms. "But why should we even bother making landfall? With a fully-armed ship and a four story heartless, shouldn't we stay on board?"

"I mean, yeah, I guess we COULD do that," Sora huffed.

"You wanted to look for treasure, didn't you?"

"No!"

"You totally forgot about the heartless, didn't you?"

"NO!"

"YOU DID!"

"COME ON!"

"Some captain!" Riku teased as he leered at him.

"Go swim with the fishes!" Sora huffed and shoved him over the side of the ship, giggling as he heard Riku land in the water. "Hehehe. Now as I was saying~" he mused as he leaned over the map again.

In no time at all, Riku had hopped back on deck, now soaking wet with the feather of his hat stuck to his face. When Sora heard him come back he turned around and bent over laughing at the sight as Riku ripped his hat off and tossed it aside. "What was that for!?" the soggy keyblader demanded.

"Think of it as payback for this morning!" Sora cackled.

Riku was less than amused as he peeled his jacket off and wrung it out. "You think you're soooooo funny..."

"I mean yeah," Sora snickered.

"Let's see how YOU like being wet!" Riku roared and tackled Sora to the deck, soaking the smaller teen with his water-logged clothes.

"RIKUUUUU!!!" Sora wailed. "Now I smell like low tide!"

"You smelled like it anyway," Riku scoffed as he stood up to get off of him.

"WHY YOU!!" Sora stood up and tackled him back, this time pinching the older male's cheeks and yanking on them. "TAKE THAT BACK!"

"YOU FIRST!" Riku yelled back as he returned the favor and also yanked on the other's face.

The squabble and horseplay continued for several more minutes until both were flat on their backs and heaving through equally bruised cheeks. By now, both had dried off and thankfully despite Sora's complaining, neither smelled like low tide.

"Okay..." Sora huffed as he squinted against the sun bearing down on them through the shade of the sails. "So...we're staying on board."

"Sounds like a plan," Riku agreed as he rubbed his sore face.

"Do we even have enough ethers for this?" Sora asked. "If we're staying on the ship, we're going to need a lot of magic."

"We should have plenty," Riku confirmed. "But try not to go too crazy."

"Alright," the brunette agreed and stood up, offering a hand to Riku to help pull him to his feet as well. "Shall we then?"

After they weighed anchor, their short journey was underway. As they approached their destination, the sky started to become dark very quickly and the fog rolled in just like before. Along the route, a lot of ship debris floated on the water's surface as it all drifted to its soon-to-be final resting place amongst the wreckage of many other ships. The closer they got, the colder the air felt and Sora found himself shivering as they passed wreckage after wreckage. Riku's senses were already overwhelmed with the foul stench of darkness as everything grew eerily quiet except for the gentle lapping of the water against the boat and the occasional creaking of wood. Not even the gulls would follow them into this fog.

Eventually it grew too dark for them to see so they lit lanterns all along the ship to light their way. Once they did, they could see more sunken ships beneath the inky black waters along with many bioluminescent eel-like heartless gliding in its depths. That's when Sora could hear them...voices from the haunted boats that shook him to his core. Sad, mournful cries unlike anything he had ever heard before echoed throughout the abandoned ships. The rage and fear of pirates that have long since passed hung in the air, heavy and thick like the fog that surrounded it. The keyblade wielder gulped as he found it harder to breathe and clutched the wheel with a white-knuckle grip. It was too late to turn back now.

_Do you fear death?_

Sora gasped and spun around for the source of the voice that he swore whispered right into his ear but he saw nothing, just fog that's barely being penetrated by the orange glow of the lanterns on deck. "R-Riku?"

"What is it?" the keyblade master hurried to Sora's side. "You okay?"

"Y-yeah. Just stay close, alright?"

"Of course," Riku nodded firmly.

"Something big's coming. I can feel it."

"I can too. The cannons are at the ready."

"Good," Sora smiled. "Are WE ready?"

"Yes," Riku returned the smile and gripped Sora's shoulder reassuringly. "We got this."

Just then, they heard the sickening groan of many ships straining against the water's surface as one by one they emerged from the black depths. Tens of half-rotting, barely floating vessels sprayed foam and mist as they escaped their watery graves, surrounding them while their crews of pirate heartless crawled aboard like hundreds of sickly glowing spiders.

After the two recovered from the surprise, they hurried to disarm the heartless before they had a chance to fully gather themselves! "CANNONS!" they shouted and began firing from both sides at once, destroying the glowing green and purple orbs of gas that served as a power source for the decrepit ships. The ones they didn't manage to hit right away were quick to fire back but Sora and Riku were on it with their shields. As they kept up the fight, they were beginning to realize how cornered they were slowly becoming. For every ship they destroyed, another seemed to take its place just as quickly. Once they built up enough magic to jump over the dead ship armada and give them a splash landing, they realized more and more how pinned they actually were as all the ship debris made it harder and harder for their ship to sail with how dead the winds were. The lack of said wind forced them to change their strategy somewhat as one had to cast wind magic while the other had to alternate between the shields and cannon fire and then switch back when the other needed to recover magic.

After a long struggle, it seemed like they were making headway, but there was still no sign of the leader. Just as they wondered if they were going to have to retreat, the ocean started to swell and rock the ship violently as the winds gusted at breakneck speeds that threatened to tear their sails. They were getting caught in a giant whirlpool!

"RIKU!!!" Sora shouted over the gale force winds as he struggled to control the wheel. "HANG ON!!!"

"SORA!!" Riku shouted back as he clung to the railing. The winds were picking up even more speed and it felt like gravity was working against him as he struggled to make his way to Sora. That's when he saw it, a giant twister just behind the ship with several more following after it. As high-speed water droplets ripped at his face, he tried air stepping to Sora who was clutching the wheel for dear life while trying to keep the ship straight but the second his feet left the ground, the winds blew him back so he was forced to keep clinging to the railing and climb up to Sora with all his might. Finally, he reached Sora's side and gripped the wheel with him. Together they were able to regain control in an attempt to ride out the whirlpool and away from the dangerous cyclones that threatened to tear the ship apart.

Just as they thought they were going to recover, lightning crackled and flashed through the sky followed by the rolls of deafening thunder. Heavy rains began to beat down on them along with the violent sprays of the ocean. Soon even the ghost ships were no longer to be seen as they seemed to retreat from the storm the two found themselves caught up in. With another FLASH they both saw it...in the swirling black eye of the storm, a ten story heartless emerged. It had anchors the size of boats for arms, tens of long, bloody tentacles with two glowing yellow eyes for a face, and wore a torn black and red coat with tails that clapped like thunder as they billowed in the wind. As Sora looked up in horror at the monstrosity he found himself at a loss for words, but Riku seemed to have plenty to say.

"They said it was only FOUR stories tall!!!" he shouted angrily. "STINKING PIRATES!!"

"Maybe they just never got close enough to know for sure!!" Sora shouted.

"At least they got the smell right!!" Riku shouted over the din of the thunder and the rushing water. "You ready, Sora?"

"READY!!!"

With a roar from each of them, they fired their cannons at the gigantic heartless while they steered the ship in a large circle, riding out the massive whirlpool while lightning clashed violently through the sky all around them. Even as water stung their eyes and they felt the sizzle of electricity in the air, they kept their sights on the enemy as it flailed its massive arms violently in their direction. The boat sailed so fast that it took everything the two had to keep their footing as it felt like they were about to capsize at any minute from the hard tilt the ship had to endure to ride the torrential current. Suddenly, there was another flash and a sickening crack as lightning struck their mast and reduced it to splinters, shooting shrapnel and setting their sails on fire. Riku had acted quickly to put up a shield for the both of them so that they didn't get skewered by their own ship but now they had no sails and were at the mercy of the current.

"We need to do something fast!!" Sora shouted as he shot ice at the burning deck to put out the rest of the flames that weren't already put out by the blinding rain.

Riku was already hard at work firing the cannons in an effort to at least stun the massive creature. Although it recoiled and they were usually a fair distance away from its arms when it flung them around, the resulting splash shook their boat violently, causing them to lose what very little secure footing they had. Without their sails to maintain their speed, however, the arms were quickly catching up. "We might have to abandon ship!!" Riku shouted as the arms got closer and closer. "Or at least take turns going after it directly!"

"Hang onto the wheel!" Sora shouted and ran for some rope. While Riku strained to hold the wheel, Sora secured it tightly so that it would stay in place, allowing the ship to keep its course, for now. "Alright, let's do this!"

One at a time, the two aimed everything they had at the giant creature. One alternating between shielding the ship and shooting the cannons while the other used their shotlock or air step to directly strike at its face. Though the heartless's attacks faltered on occasion, its massive arms were coming closer and closer to their ship and it was getting harder to keep up the timing of using the shields to block the resulting shockwaves from its missed strikes and frequent lightning strikes.

Both were tiring and both knew it. They took turns healing and recovering each other's magic, but even as prepared as they were, their timing began to suffer as exhaustion started to claim them. Despite this, they could tell they were making good headway as the heartless seemed to desperately thrash more clumsily. However, this also meant it was becoming much less predictable. Then...just when it seemed it couldn't get any worse... one of the giant anchor arms came down right in the center of their ship. The teens saw it coming and separated, diving away just in time as the humongous metal appendage cleaved the ship clean in half and tore it asunder. The two now barely had anything left to stand on and decided it was now or never. With one quick glance at each other, both of them jumped onto its flailing arms and ran for it!

_Do you fear death?_

"You're just a stupid heartless!" Sora roared, refusing to be beaten even as he heard the last bits of his ship splinter and join the rest of the debris in the whirlpool. He runs up the creature's arm to aim his blows for its giant head and he sees Riku doing the same thing as he's dashing up the other arm. There, the two meet and clash with its many bloody red tentacles. The creature roars in agony as its health quickly depletes but just as Riku's about to aim the finishing blow, the heartless strikes Sora and sends him flying! "AAAAAAHHHH!!!"

"SORA!!!" Riku shouted as he heard him cry out from the blow. From where he's standing, Riku can't even see where Sora went as his last blow connects and sends the heartless into oblivion in a giant plume of black smoke. But even as it disappears, the cyclones still have a little life left in them and as Riku falls, he gets caught in one and sent flying in another direction.

As the violent storm calms at long last and the skies clear, neither keyblade wielder is anywhere to be seen.


	40. Rescued, Adrift

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The boys have been separated!! Sora has been found by the crew of the Flying Dutchman and Riku decides to wait to be rescued only to realize how much he hates waiting around.

"He really is a wonder, isn't he?" the Master of Masters chuckled in amusement as he lazily swung back and forth on a rope swing hung from a shady tree while reading over several stolen reports. "And just when you think it can't get any better, you put the two TOGETHER...man, it gives me chills!" He squealed excitedly as he tossed the page he was reading to the ground.

"Mm-hmm," Xigbar hummed semi-distractedly while lounging on a picnic blanket leaning against said tree. He's studying the stolen lab footage a digital tablet while on occasion gathering up the pages that the Master drops after he reads them.

"Not too shabby...considering how badly you messed up."

"..."

"He scares you, doesn't he? Isn't that why you used so many of those special rounds in your purple people hurter?"

"Do you want me to apologize again?"

The cloaked man sighed, "No, not at all. Lucky for you it's worked out in our favor. Unlucky for you, I now want the pair. So you're just going to have to work a little harder." He wagged a finger in a silent tut tutting gesture and flipped another page. "The little miss here has been very thorough in her notes. And Riku...our party pooper...he's not too bad either. Says Sora saw things in the Land of Dragons. Very intriguing."

"Didn't you already say he hallucinated in an earlier report?" Xigbar scoffed.

"Yes, but remember how he spoke to us? He was so confident in the light of the past supporting the people of the present, the ones left behind. Don't you see, my dear apprentice? The boy's heart is connecting with the dead, as well."

"That would explain what happened in the Keyblade Graveyard. So you're saying our golden boy can see ghosts?"

"Anybody can SEE ghosts. It's another to connect with them. You need to look at the bigger picture!" the master flailed dramatically but then flinched when Xigbar gave him a one-eyed stare. "Oof, sorry, too soon?"

"So when are going to grab the little squirt already?"

"Patience, patience! I know this is taking a while, but remember, we want the PAIR now. So we need to let their hearts marinate a little while longer," he explained as he daintily peels away another page from the thick pile in his hand and tosses it aside.

Xigbar sighs quietly as he picks up the page and piles it with the others. When they lost track of Sora, the Master was pretty convinced the kid had died as he had observed a general wave of sadness in all the different worlds he bothered to visit. The former organization member had a feeling they hadn't seen the last of him, given Sora's past history, but he was almost convinced that even if they did find him the kid would be way too broken to work with so he suggested using Riku as the alternative. Riku may not have as many connections as Sora, but his heart is just as strong and the connections he does make are iron-clad. Unfortunately the keyblade master was out of practice when it came to making connections so they had to coax him along very quickly. They went from world to world, planting crystals of darkness that would attract the attention of heartless mobs, or at the very least read off on the king's radar, so that the keyblade masters would be forced to look into it and gain new connections along the way. Riku certainly didn't make it easy at first. When he and the king would show up, they'd wipe everything out and leave without so much as a fuss. So they had to be sneakier about it, hiding the seeds of darkness out of plain sight so that the duo were forced to ask around and connect with people to find what they were looking for. It was frustrating to watch Riku from the sidelines as he worked on his people skills but he eventually got the hang of it. But even as they groomed Riku, the scarred man kept having dreams of Sora, always giving him that angry look that reminded him so much of Ventus. No matter how many times he knocked the kid down, he either got back up or Riku would come to his rescue. The dreams plagued him for many nights as he reflected on his supposed failure. But then one day, rumors started spreading of Sora's recovery but like wildfire they spread too quickly to find a reliable source. There was no telling where he actually was, until at long last Xigbar spotted him in Arendelle. Ever since, the Master has insisted he wants the pair but only when the time was right. Something about their new connections needing to be twice forged, whatever that means. He explained when you have two powerhouses working together, the connection needs to be able to sustain it, or it will burn out, like the filament in a lightbulb.

Whatever, none of it really mattered to him at this point. This entire time he's been waiting for the end game: the thing that's supposed to come next once his mission was finally complete. Now they're so close. That being said, he hated the idea that after all this time of working on his own without knowing if he was doing the right thing or not, the Master has come back and has been nothing if not critical. Sure, he used darkness seed ammo on Sora, but the kid would not go down and the Master kept whining about his dinner plans the entire time. Besides, it's not like he was the one that was supposed to do the extracting, so really what did it matter what happened to Sora's body if they had managed to extract his heart like originally planned? "And you're not going to take any responsibility at all?" he asked the swinging man calmly.

"Sure, fine. I'll take the responsibility...of having not picked a more capable apprentice."

"Master--"

"I'm kidding! You've done your best and that's all I can ask for."

Defeated, Xigbar turned his eye downcast and turned back around to study the tablet some more. Maybe he was too eager. He got impatient and let his own self-doubt get to him. In the end he nearly ruined the master's plan and prolonged his own mission. "I won't let you down again."

"'Atta boy. Now there's something I need you to--Are you even listening to me?" the master asked in exasperation as he heard the video and looked down from his reading to see Xigbar studying the tablet again.

"I'm listening," Xigbar insisted. He couldn't help grinning as he watched the lab footage of Sora freaking out about the lasers while getting scanned. When the Master's right, he's right. It's very clear that Sora's heart is still very delicate after all. Of course, what fascinated him the most was the footage of Sora in the padded room. He's watched it several times already, morbidly intrigued at how quickly Sora breaks down the longer Riku is away. The way his rage builds, how quickly he loses his temper, the threshold of his pain before he succumbs before transforming and completely tearing everything apart...it was interesting. But the part that grabbed him the most is when Riku comes back. He's rewound and watched that moment so many times, studying it intently for the few frames he could find when Sora's heart returns, only to be disappointed when there's a bright flash and nothing can be seen for that split moment. After that, everything in the torn room is back to normal, which Xigbar aslo found incredibly strange. Clearly there is a lot of magic being conducted while Sora sustains this form and the attention to the state of his surroundings suggests awareness. It's not like what happened with his anti-form as they observed when he part of the old Organization XIII. It's also not like Saix's berserker mode, either. That being said, there was something very different about how Sora acted in the padded room versus how he performed in the battle between them at Arendelle and maybe that's something he could use to his advantage if he has to go toe to toe with this form again.

The cloaked man eyed him staring intently at the screen, "I had no idea you were such a voyeur." 

The comment abruptly derailed the sniper's train of thought. Flustered, he whipped his head around to protest, "You told me to study the footage!"

"Yeah, but not THAT closely. You'll go blind!" he scolded. "So as I was saying; there's something I need you to do."

~ * ~ * ~

A flock of gulls circled the sky above a piece of wreckage adrift in the sea. Their pecks and cries did very little to stir the teen lying on top of it, his hands barely gripping the edges as he drifted in and out of consciousness.

"Riku...Riku..." Sora muttered as he slowly opened his eyes. He could feel the sun beating down on his back while the water gently rocked his makeshift life raft. As he slowly gained more awarness, he could see a ship in the distance heading towards him. "Wait...do I know that ship?" he whispered as a gull roosted on his head, the weight of the annoying bird forcing his head back down before he lost consciousness again.

_Riku, can you hear me?_

"SORA!!" Riku shot up to find himself lying on a deserted beach. As he whipped his head around in an effort to take in his surroundings, he felt a stabbing pain in his right leg and looked down to see the gruesome sight of a large piece of wood jammed into his thigh. Instinctively he reached down to clutch his leg only to find his hands covered in blood almost immediately. "Shit," he hissed. If he can't take it out, he won't be able to heal himself. "Here goes..."

He tried gripping the end and simply tugging but it only took a second of excruciating pain to tell him that probably wasn't the best course of action. He had to take it slow otherwise he risked causing more damage. As he gripped his thigh with one hand and the large piece of shrapnel with the other, he felt that the end of it had penetrated more than just his leg. "Don't tell me..." he growled as he now felt further motivated to remove the offending object. After much screaming, he finally succeeded in pulling it out and quickly cast curaga on himself. His chest heaved as he recovered from the extraction and after tossing the thing aside, he dug into his torn pants pocket to find his gummi phone had completely been skewered and was covered in his own blood. With a sigh, he carefully removed the handmade paopu charm from Kairi, the only thing that hadn't gotten dirty, and put in his other less-destroyed pocket where it would be safe before shoving the gummi phone back into his pants. "Hope Chip and Dale can do something with it when I get back," he huffed. "There were a lot of pictures I really liked."

With a groan, he unsteadily got to his feet. Upon doing so, he immediately felt a little dizzy and chugged his last potion in case the blood loss was to blame. "I need to find Sora," he muttered as he started walking. "Calling him is way out of the question now. But maybe he ended up here too?"

After a quick lap around the small island, he had no such luck in finding Sora, a warp sphere, or a moogle shop. There weren't even any heartless to be seen. In the center of the small island were a few cliffs that he managed to climb and at the top were a few very tall palm trees. Once he climbed as high as he possibly could, he looked out to sea only to be further discouraged by the total lack of ANYTHING being visible on the horizon. "Where the hell am I?"

Frustrated, he slid back down the tree and took a minute to catch his breath in its shade as he tried to think of what he should do next. "I know I heard Sora...I can feel him calling out to me," he muttered as he put his hand over his heart. "But should I go looking for him or let him look for me?"

With a sigh, he leaned back against the tree and stared at palm leaves that protected him from the sun's rays. "Sora knows this world better than me," he reasoned. "If I go looking for him, who knows where I'll end up? I don't even have a way to get off this island." He looked at the surrounding brush and trees. "Making a raft means risking going out into open waters and he'll DEFINITELY have a hard time finding me out there. It's probably better to stay put. Besides, it's the captain's job to look out for the crew," he smirked.

"Alright, Captain Sora!" he stood and brushed the sand off of himself. "Come and find me!" he grinned as he summoned his keyblade and began chopping at the surrounding vegetation. "I'll even make it easier for you! I don't have all day!"

When Sora next opened his eyes, he found himself on board a ship with many crew members standing over him.

"Has he awoken yet?"

His head ached and his vision was very blurry, but he was sure he recognized that voice. "Will...?"

"Sora! You're awake!"

Sora blinked away the bleariness in his eyes to see the new captain of the Flying Dutchman standing over him along with his crew. At recognizing his friend he sat up and nearly bonked heads with the man in his excitement. "WILL! I'm so glad to see you!"

"It's good to see you too, Sora! Though I wish it were under better circumstances."

"You and me both!" Sora chuckled as he shook the water out of his ears. "How have you been?"

"To be perfectly honest, things have been treacherous for the past month. My crew and I have been unable to perform our duty of chartering those who have perished at sea to the the next world. But a certain presence has prevented us from doing that. Now that you're here, the presence is gone, so I assume we have you to thank for that."

Sora recalled the boats he witnessed earlier and the crying voices he heard at the graveyard. It brought him peace to know that they'll finally be taken care of. "Heh, Jack told us about the heartless threat. I'm just sorry we couldn't have helped sooner. But wait!!" Sora jumped to his feet. "Have you guys run into anybody else? I got separated from my friend, Riku!"

Sora told them all about the battle at the Ship Graveyard and how they got separated after they dealt the final blow. But Will only shook his head, "I'm afraid we hadn't seen anybody like that. But given our line of work, that's probably a good thing."

It took Sora a second to figure out what he meant by that as he tilted his head really hard to the side, the realization hit him and he grinned sheepishly, "Oh yeah, I guess you're right about that. But wait...what does that make me?"

Will eyed him up and down as he crossed his arms, "To be honest, I'm not sure. Lucky, maybe?"

"Heh! You're not wrong!" Sora grinned. "So I know you guys are really busy, but how do you think I should find Riku? My ship's been destroyed."

"Well, strictly speaking we can't go to port. I'm not allowed near land for quite some time." 

"So...I'm stuck on this ship?" Sora asked cautiously as he looked at the rest of the crew.

"I'm afraid that may be the case," Will said. "Not unless you want to jump."

Sora slowly started backing up to the railing while the rest of the crew watched him, hands slowly going up. "Will..." he asked nervously.

"Your options are limited, Sora, I'm afraid. As much as I would like to help, I simply can't," the captain said gravely while he slowly approached Sora.

"It's okay, I understand," the teen gave a toothy grin and climbed the railing with a tip of his hat, much to everybody's surprise. "Thanks for fishing me out, Captain."

"Wait! Sora, you don't understand! I can't just let you--," fearing the worst, Will grabs Sora's arm and realization dawns on his face. "So it IS true."

Sora paused and turned to look at Will who was already giving him that mournful face so many of his friends have given him before. "Please, Will, don't look at me like that," he smiled knowingly, already sure of what the other was thinking.

"But Sora..." the captain slowly loosened his grip on the brunette.

"Please don't pity me. It was my choice and I don't regret any of it. I don't know what's going to happen when I see the other side again. But right now the one I love is out there somewhere and I need to find him," he pleaded. "Just point me in the direction of the nearest island and I'll do the rest."

"Alright," Will conceded and released Sora. "Head due north from here," he pointed. "You'll find Shipwreck Cove. I'm sure you'll be able to resurrect a vessel to your liking," he directed with a smile, confident that Sora will find a way to pull off another miracle.

"Thanks, Will!" Sora gave a thumbs up. "I'm really glad to see you're doing well. I hope we'll get to see each other again soon."

"Right! May the winds of fortune be at your back, Captain Sora."

"And to you as well, Captain Turner!" the brunette grinned before double-jumping as high has he could possibly go and began gliding north. _Wait for me, Riku._

"I'm so tired of waiting," Riku grumbled.

The keyblade master had made quick work of piling all the island's vegetation in to a giant pyre and just lighting it on fire. When he ran out of brush to use, he dove into the sea to look for additional wreckage to use and threw it on the pile, the flames so hot by now that it really didn't matter how wet the wood was. It all produced smoke and that's what he needed. Once he was satisfied with his work, he sat in the shade of the cliff and waited while rubbing the residual soreness left behind in his right thigh. "Aaaaaaaaany minute now, he's going to fly in here with that goofy grin of his and be all "Hey, did you miss me?"," he snorted. Even though he's a fair distance from the flames, it was really starting to get hot so he decided strip off some layers and take a dip back in the shallows. "When's the last time I've even taken a swim just for fun?" he wondered aloud.

As he sat amongst the rocks and watched the little fish swim along the shoreline, he idly thought of all the times he and Sora would try to catch fish with their bare hands on days just like this. When his own dad showed him how it was supposed to be done, Sora thought it was the coolest thing and spent days following his every move until he could do it too. Eventually, they were able to fill their whole play pails with fish. Sometimes they'd compete to see who could get the most. In the end, they'd toss them all back and come back the next day. After the "fish incident" from before, they weren't allowed to bring any other fish home so there really wasn't much else they could do with them. Eventually when they were old enough they got so good at it they could swim out into open water and catch them and that's what they'd have for lunch.

"Heh, I remember when we'd compete to see who could catch a bigger fish for Kairi," he smirked. "I think she was the smartest out of the three of us, now that I'm thinking about it."

When Sora made it to shipwreck cove, he found the crabs there much less cooperative than before. "So I guess I'll have to fix my own ship," he grumbled as he looked around at all the surrounding wreckage. "There's no way I can do all of that by myself." The teen kicked at the sand in frustration as he started pulling up decent-sized pieces of wreckage to tie together. "Time to put my raft-building skills to the test!" he stated proudly as he propped up what he hoped to be the mast with his fists on his hips as he took in the fruits of his labor...only for it to fall over. "Or lack thereof," he groaned as he dragged a hand down his face. Not to be deterred, he decided to just look for a mast that still has the deck stuck to it, preferably with a sail still attached too. "You could call it lazy, or you could call it smart!" he hummed to himself as he recalled Kairi constantly scolding him for ditching the work on the raft to take a nap.

Eventually he did find a piece that fit that description and used his keyblade to hack it away from the rest of the wreckage. Once it fell apart and slid into the water, he was able to shove it to the shore until he was ready to work with it. After that, he hurried to find rope and other odds and ends to make it more stable. "Whoo! I really need to hurry! If I don't find Riku before sundown, he's going to be maaaad." Once he was ready, he gave the makeshift raft one hard shove and began casting aero to fill the sails and get going. After that, it wasn't much longer until he found a smoke signal in the sky. "That's gotta be him!" he smiled brightly and held on tightly to his rope as he cast more air into his sails. "Hope he found something to eat. I'm starving!"


	41. Shiver me Timbers, Shiver my Soul

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The keyblade duo pay a visit to the legendary town of Tortuga!

"This is just like the other time. You know I hadn't even taken the time to sit down and think about how it made Kairi feel to wait so long for us to come back. Then I had to wait for both of them. Now it's only been a few hours and already I'm really starting to hate it. You think I'd have learned patience by now." Riku snorted. "Who am I kidding? With those two for friends, I am the MASTER of patience."

The teen had already made a giant sand castle and roasted about twenty fish while he waited. He's even decorated said sand castle with every sea shell he could possibly find and made a dinner setting out of smooth rocks complete with a table and two chairs made out of boulders.

"Yep. The master of patience."

Just as he was about to congratulate himself on a job well done, he felt a familiar tug at his heart and turned toward the horizon to see Sora approaching at breakneck speed on a crudely-made raft that didn't even look like it should be able to float! "RIKUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU!!!!"

"Sora!!" Riku ran to the shore to wave him down. He didn't have to wait too long before the teen CRASHED the raft into shore with one huge blast of aeroga and flew through the air to land right into Riku's arms, subsequently flattening Riku into the sand.

"You're safe, Riku!!!" Sora squealed with joy as he hugged Riku's middle.

"Of course I am!" Riku huffed, but he squeezed Sora just as hard. "Took you long enough to find me. Some captain you are."

"Hey, that's no way to talk to the one who came to rescue you! You should be more polite if you want to board my ship!"

"What ship?" Riku pointed. The "raft" that Sora sailed in on was now completely broken in half with most of it sticking vertically out of the sand.

"Uh...that one...as soon as we can fix it!"

"With what?" Riku asked just as the giant fire behind him made another loud POP as the last of the trees fell over and added more fuel to the blaze.

"Did you burn EVERYTHING!?" Sora asked.

"I had to be sure that even YOU would be able to find me."

"What's that supposed to mean?" the brunette huffed as he got off of Riku. "Let's not forget who found who when--" he pointed at Riku just as his stomach began to growl angrily and he doubled over in hunger.

Riku laughed and grabbed Sora's hand to take him over to the table he made. "Come on, let me treat you to dinner."

As they ate through Riku's bounty of fish, Sora told him all about the Flying Dutchman and how Captain Will has been struggling to reach the souls of the dead who have drowned at sea. "You should've seen the way Will looked at me though, like he wasn't sure if he should let me leave," Sora mumbled through a mouthful of fish, "But I told him been there, done that, bought the t-shirt."

The keyblade master rubbed his chin in thought, not really hearing that last part. "That would explain the heartless and everything," Riku grumbled but then smiled. "Looks like you've done it again, Sora."

"Hm? Done what?" the brunette tilted his head.

"Don't you see? Your heart was what led us here in the first place. Us coming here, finding out there was a heartless threat, helping Jack, Will, and all of those people...that wasn't an accident."

Sora grinned bashfully as he tossed his skewer on the pile, "Don't give me too much credit. I couldn't have done it without you."

"Well, that much is true," Riku laughed.

Sora puffed out his cheeks in a pout but said nothing as he grabbed another fish skewer.

"So anyway, what's the plan, captain?"

Sora brightened when Riku called him captain without any hint of sarcasm but also gave a guilty grin, "Eh-heh, well I didn't think about that part."

"Of course," Riku sighed.

"I mean, I think I know this island. It's a little hard to recognize since you BURNED everything, but--RIKU!! What happened to your leg!?"

The teen flinched at the volume of the other's voice as Sora reached over to point at his bloodied pant leg all of a sudden. "It's alright. I already healed it."

"But there's so much blood! Does it still hurt?" the brunette asked as he looked it over. Despite Riku going into the ocean several times today, most of his right pant leg was still stained in his own blood.

"It's a little sore, but that will go away," Riku assured him. "I don't even notice it anymore. If anything, I'm more upset about my phone." He sighed and pulled the destroyed phone out of his pocket to show him.

"Aw, Riku," Sora took it from him and looked at the hole that went all the way through the small device. "What the heck happened?"

"Do you think Chip and Dale will be able to recover anything from it?" the teen asked.

"I-I'm sure they can!" Sora tried to reassure him after seeing the sad look on the silver-haired teen's face. "In the meantime, you can use my phone to look at kingstagram if you want!"

Riku laughed, "Thanks, but that's not really that high on my priority list. We should think about how we're going to get back to the gummi ship."

"You're right. I'm worried about Rufus."

"It's a trash can. I'm sure it's fine."

"Do you think it's lonely?"

"It's a trash can."

"A trash can named Rufus."

"Yes. I'm sure RUFUS is fine."

Just then, Sora noticed a black dot on the horizon. "LOOK! Riku! I think that's the Black Pearl!!"

"Wait, what?" Riku stood up to look behind him and sure enough, the Black Pearl was fast approaching. "Wow, it's really booking it!"

"Of course! The Black Pearl is the fastest ship!" the brunette cheered as he ran to the shore to watch it. As it approached, the sun was already beginning to set. "Hey, what do you think about staying one more night?" he asked Riku.

"One more night here?" the keyblade master blinked in disbelief.

"Not here here. I mean...maybe at port?" he suggested as he rubbed his cheek with his index finger.

"Heh," Riku couldn't help grinning just a little. When Sora looks that cute, how could he say no? "Just as long as we don't have to sleep on the water. I think I've had enough of rocking boats for a while."

Soon the ship was right in front of them, Captain Jack waving at them from the deck, "You sorry lot in need of a rescue?"

Sora shouted back, slightly affronted at being called out, "What makes you say that?"

"Is that not a signal fire?" the captain pointed at the giant pillar of flame still going from the top of the cliff.

"No, it is," Riku smirked.

"So...you coming aboard or do I have to send a boat to fetch you?" the pirate asked, perfectly aware of how far Sora and Riku can jump by now.

"We're coming!" Sora shouted and the two quickly air-stepped on board.

While on board the Black Pearl, Sora regaled the crew with the story of how they took down the now twelve-story heartless with its HUNDRED tentacles that dripped blood and had fifty eyes and did NOT have a cool hat. Riku had about as much fun listening to Sora's telling as the rest of the crew and he certainly didn't dare to correct him, especially when Sora got to the part where Riku dealt the finishing blow.

"Just picture it, Riku took out his five foot keyblade and WHACKED it so hard across the face that it exploded and sent the two of us flying in different directions!" Sora shouted excitedly while hopping on top of a barrel and swinging his own keyblade around.

The crew looked to Riku in amazement but also disbelief.

"You really wield a five foot long sword?" Mr. Gibbs asked.

"Sure do!" Riku smirked and summoned his keyblade for all of them to see.

"NO WAY!"  
"How do you not fall over?"  
"It's nearly as long as Captain Sora is!"

"Actually, I think it IS as long as Sora," Riku corrected with another smirk in Sora's direction.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Sora huffed as he hopped down from the barrel.

"It means it's a very long keyblade," Riku answered.

"Five foot isn't that long," somebody said, earning a laugh from everybody on board.

"But which one is better, I wonder?" Captain Jack interjected, earning a curious Oooooh from the whole crew.

"Mine!" both teens answered.

"What say you, men? I believe a duel in order!" the man grinned toothily. "We still have a ways until Tortuga. Might be entertaining!"

"Oh I see how it is," Sora laughed. "Well guess again, Riku and I wouldn't--"

"I think it's a great idea!" Riku smirked as he rested his keyblade across his shoulders. "What do you say, "captain" Sora? A little match to tide us over?"

"_You..._ Fine!" Sora huffed and summoned Wheel of Fate. "A duel it is!"

The crew cheered and cleared the deck center deck, leaving the two to face-off.

"You're on, but the captain makes the rules!" Riku nodded to Jack.

"Aye! But did you forget, mate? We're pirates...there are no rules," the captain smirked. "Except don't harm the ship."

"Or the crew?" Mr. Gibbs suggested.

"Oh, and the crew. Now...get on with it!" he waved them off as his way of telling them to GO!

"This is it!" Sora shouted as he lunged forward for Riku.

"HA!" Riku shouted, blocking the initial blow and stepping to the side to kick Sora in the butt. "Too slow!"

Sora got kicked in the butt and everybody laughed, sure, but he rolled right into the cabin wall and kicked off to fly right back at Riku with another swipe. "Don't hold back!"

Riku was a little surprised that he bounced back as such, but that's because he half-expected that they would spar like they did as kids. Now they both have an arsenal of moves under their belts as well as flowmotion. As he blocked Sora's blow, he shoved his keyblade forward to send Sora falling back and took the opening to hold his keyblade above his head to charge at him next. "How about this? First to fall off the ship loses!"

Sora's boots skidded along the deck from the force of Riku's shove and he nearly fell over but caught himself just in time to deftly dodge Riku's assault. "Fine by me!" he shouted as he hopped into the air in an attempt to strike from above.

The crew cheered and exchanged bets as they egged the two on, oohing and ah-ing as the two dealt blows left and right, metal bashed metal and sparks clashed everywhere they looked. Despite the two picking up speed, neither seemed to tire. They were having way too much fun out-jumping and out-performing the other. Sora at one point even jumped and stood on top of Riku's keyblade before aiming a kick at his chest to knock him flat on his back and Riku retaliated simply by grabbing him by the scruff of his jacket and tossing him over the side of the ship, which Sora only barely managed to avoid falling by grabbing the railing on the way down.

There was an unspoken agreement between them to not cast magic, but Sora simply couldn't resist form-changing his keyblade, especially since Riku had so much reach with his own. So the first chance he got, he form-changed his keyblade into a staff in an attempt to gain the upper hand. It didn't work, but before the time was up, he managed to summon the watery tentacles that grabbed Riku and threw HIM over the side of the boat...unsuccessfully.

When Riku climbed back over, Sora was charging at him full speed, ready to knock him back down...ONLY TO SLIP!! The water left behind by his last attack made the recently polished deck so slippery that he lost footing as he careened into Riku, who only had to step aside as Sora smashed into the railing, breaking it completely before falling into the sea with a loud SPLASH!

"Sora!!" Riku leaned over, unable to hold back a laugh despite his concern for Sora's safety.

The crew was in stitches but the captain didn't look too pleased. "The winner by default is Riku!"

Sora spat out a good amount of sea water as he climbed back aboard and pulled seaweed out of his hat. "I demand a rematch!"

"I have to agree. That doesn't seem too fair," Riku snorted as he tried so hard not to laugh.

"Well it wasn't fair for you to break my ship after I only gave you one rule--" he looks at Mr. Gibbs and corrected himself, "TWO rules."

Sora laughed, "That's true. Good match, Riku!"

The two were put to work repairing the railing, which they were more than happy to do. The crew seemed very entertained by the whole match and were debating amongst themselves who should have won if Sora hadn't thrown himself overboard. Though most agreed Sora won points with style, who the real winner would've been was a hot debate even as money was seen changing hands. By the time the boys had finished repairing the railing and gave it a fresh coat of varnish, night had fallen and they had arrived at Tortuga!

The dreadlocked captain was all too eager to show Sora and Riku around. Very quickly the teens were almost overwhelmed by all the chaos around them. Men were being pulled by their legs behind carriages, others being shoved out of houses and into the mud, bar fights seemed to be occurring in every establishment, and the only things that appeared to be sleeping soundly at this time of the night were the pigs and the passed out men who joined them in the pen. "It is indeed a sad life that has never breathed deep the sweet, proliferous bouquet that is Tortuga. If every town were like this one, no man would ever feel unwanted."

Riku felt like had to stay close to Sora to keep him from getting run over. There were people running everywhere, things getting shoved, horse feet kicking, wagons being shoved left and right, stuff falling out of windows, just sheer madness. The brunette, however, was bouncing on the balls of his feet the entire time, just completely taken in by all the craziness. "Wow, this is nothing like Port Royal!" he gasped. "Everything's so lively here!"

"I guess that's one way of looking at it," Riku said before shouting "UGH!" as he stepped in horse droppings.

"What say you to a drink?" the captain offered. "On you, of course!"

"Aye!" Sora cheered.

Before Riku could even protest, Jack had led them to what was apparently a very popular watering hole as it was filled to bursting with people all in different manners of drunken stupor. Sora went ahead and tossed a handful of gold coins on the counter as the captain ordered for them, much to the delight of the bar maid.

"Where'd you get all of that?" Riku asked.

"On one of the shipwrecks while I was trying to make a raft. When we leave here it's only barely enough munny for a potion, so why not spend it all here?" Sora explained.

"That's...pretty smart, actually."

"Hehe," Sora grinned. "Don't worry, I have enough left for a room too."

"Drink up, lads!" the captain cheered as he slid them their metal tankards full of grog while taking straight-up rum for himself. "Tonight, we celebrate old and new friends!"

"Cheers!" both teens raised their mugs before taking a sip and each made a different face. Sora kind of grimaced while Riku smacked his lips a little bit.

"So weird," Riku commented.

"And watery," Sora added.

"Aye, but it's better than the actual water, mates. Savvy," Jack winked as he drank the rest of his in one swig and called out to the bar maid again. "'Nother round, please!"

By the time they finished their first round, the second round went down much smoother. After they all shared a dinner of the driest turkey legs and moldy potatoes this side of the seven seas, the three were singing shanty after shanty while getting all the words wrong while the bar fights and shameless flirting went on all around them.

"We're rascals, scoundrels, villains, and knaves!" Sora sang.

"Drink up, me 'earties, yo ho~"

"We're devils and black sheep, really bad eggs~" the captain slurred.

"Drink up, me 'earties, yo ho!"

"Yo ho, yo ho, a pirate's life for me!" Riku added at the end while Sora leaned on him heavily, barely standing up straight he was giggling so much.

"We're beggars and blighters, ne'er-do-well cads!" the brunette cheered just as he dodged a thrown rum bottle and grabbed his third round of drink. "DRINK UP, ME HEARTIES, YO-HO!"

While they sang their hearts out, their group caught the attention of a couple of very blessedly-endowed maidens, namely Riku who remained seated in his chair while Sora was the one looping arms and dancing with Jack not two feet away. Both of them scooched up to Riku, much to his discomfort as they fluttered their fans and bat their heavily-painted eyelashes.

"Do you have anybody to keep you company tonight, darling?" one of them asked as she adjusted her corset.

Riku already a little red in the face before, but now he's flustered on top of that, "Uh--" But before he could even try to think of a way to politely decline, he could hear Sora erupting into the biggest fit of giggles he's ever heard.

Said brunette toddled over, giggling his head off as he forcibly shoved himself into Riku's lap. "Shorry, ladies! Seat's taken!" he giggled again before planting a big wet one on Riku's cheek.

"Wot's this? Turnin' down a lady?" a random pirate wandered over and wrapped an arm around one of them.

Said ladies couldn't be less interested in the pirate as he wandered over, one of which already began telling him off. "Keep yer hands to yerself! We know you don't 'ave any coin on ye!"

"Oh, and loik dis blighter does!?"

Sora giggled even more as he hugged Riku's neck and took a selfie. "Whatsa blighter?"

"Now yer makin fun of me talk?" the pirate growled, releasing the lady and slamming down his empty tankard.

"I think it's time to go," Riku simply said as he stood up, picking up Sora as he did so.

"WOT, YOU THINK YOU CAN JUST--" CRASH!

Captain Jack had just shattered an empty bottle on the top of the poor bloke's head and sent him tumbling to the ground for an instant nap. "Time to sleep it off, mate!" the captain smirked while raising his fourth glass to Riku and Sora in a cheers.

Instead of solving the matter, however, the sound of shattering glass was like a siren's call to the pirate's other mates who have come to defend their fallen comrade. At the drop of Sora's mug, a full-blown fight had ensued, AGAIN, this time with more flying fists and chairs and the like. The captain was already ditching by diving under tables while all the other drunken men were tripping over themselves just throwing punches wherever they could. Sora however thought it was the funniest thing ever, especially as Riku carried him and dodged flying bottles and shoes left and right. However, he got slammed by one of the fighting patrons into the bar and nearly dropped Sora who hopped to his feet very quickly when Riku leaned over the bar. "Don't you think you've had enough, Riku?" the brunette asked.

Riku sighed and reached over to finish off the last of his that was still on the table in one fell swig. "Yes, I have. So let's get out of here, shall we?"

"Sure!" Sora agreed and let Riku grab his hand as they got down low and dodged more flying debris, all while Sora had his phone out and taking selfies. But when somebody grabbed Sora by the arm, Riku was not having it, whipping around to punch the guy right across the face. Sora thought they were doing a little dosey-doe and ended up kicking another guy as he got whipped around. But then somebody jumped on Riku, and then Sora jumped on them and bashed his fists into the back of their head until Riku got back up and snatched Sora off of them to quickly carry them out of there by jumping on the tables until they were safely out of the building while dodging more flying bottles. Once they made it out of there alive, they saw Captain Jack was outside waiting for them.

"Think I'm going to turn in. Thanks for the drinks, lads!" he belched loudly. "You're welcome to sleep on board if ye like."

"Where's the inn, Jack?" Sora asked as he leaned heavily into Riku. "Riku doesn't wanna sleep on the water tonight."

"Aye, just down that way. Ye can't miss it, savvy?" Jack pointed to a giant sign that said "inn". "Just keep your wits about ye."

"Well, thanks for everything, Captain. We might not see you in the morning," Riku offered his hand in thanks.

Captain Jack accepted the shake firmly, "Aye, I figured. It was a pleasure meeting you, Mr. Riku. You take good care of Captain Sora. A captain is nothing without a good first mate."

"Right, thanks."

"Byyyyyyyyyyyye, Jack! This was so much fun! We gotta do it again sometime!" Sora giggled.

"Aye, lad, maybe when you're a little older," the captain chuckled. "May the winds of good fortune be with you."

"Same to you!" Sora grinned.

Riku dragged Sora along to the inn and Sora very happily slammed down a handful of coins for the best room possible. Said room was a simple large bed but it looked clean enough and it didn't have broken windows, so that was a plus. The wooden floors creaked and there was still a lot of noise to be heard outside, but it could've been a lot worse. Since the night was really wearing on, people were finally starting to fall asleep so things were quieting down before too long. The minute they locked the door behind them, Riku walked Sora to the bed. "How much have you had??"

"I dunno," Sora giggled. "Three or four?"

"Think maybe they gave you a little extra since you kept throwing gold at them," Riku smirked as he sat down and started pulling off his boots.

Sora was already stripping his coat and pants off, but just leaving it in a pile IN the bed to sleep on top of. Though Sora was probably just being lazy, Riku thought that probably wasn't too bad of an idea and did the same. Once both were bed-ready, Sora made grabby hands for Riku who happily obliged and crawled into the bed with him, pulling the sheets over them with their coats on top. As soon as they snuggled up together, Sora was already nibbling and kissing at Riku's neck, much to the elder teen's surprise who thought for sure Sora was ready to pass out by now.

"Sora..." he groaned as the brunette sloppily kissed his way up his jawline. "Should probably sleep."

"My Riku..." Sora moaned as he pawed at Riku's chest. As he moved to nibble on his ear, he felt something beneath his teeth and pulled back. "Did you know you have an earring?" he asked in surprise.

"What? Yeah, you didn't notice?"

"No!" Sora pouted.

"Well you have a gold tooth!"

"I DO!?" the brunette gasped and stuffed his fingers into his mouth to feel his teeth.

"Don't stick your hands in your mouth!" Riku scolded and pulled them out. "You don't know what's on them."

"They're my hands and my teeth, I'll do what I want!"

"Oh really?"

"Yeah really!" Sora yanked them back and gripped the taller teen's large arms as he smashes their lips together for a very sloppy kiss which Riku participates in for only a few seconds before yanking him off.

"Your breath stinks!"

"You're so meeeeeeean!" Sora huffed before turning around and pouting with his arms crossed with a huff.

Riku could only cackle and wrap his arms around Sora as he spooned him from behind. "You can kiss me in the morning after you sleep off the drink, how's that?"

"My breath might stink worse~" Sora warned, but he allowed the cuddles.

"Maybe it won't~" Riku snickered as he buried his face into Sora's flattened hat hair.

"Pretty...sure...it will..." Sora yawned before he fell asleep.

"Good night, Sora," the elder teen smiled before letting sleep claim him as well.


	42. You Can Call Me Your Fool, I Only Wanna Be With You

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The boys deal with the morning after their wild night. Sora broke the rule of Vegas and they pay a visit to the lab.

The dark sky is clear and the stars are bright. The large blue moon hung high and a soft melody played in Riku's ears. He had opened his eyes to find himself standing amongst the cosmos where only the tiniest wisps of blue clouds were to be seen, drifting lazily as they reflected the moon's soft glow. He looked down at himself to find himself in a state of formal ballroom dress. He was wearing a crisp white five piece tuxedo complete with a long tailcoat and a yellow bowtie with matching cummerbund. If this were a ball, it appears as though he's the only one in attendance. In the distance he could see comets streaming across the sky but below him there was nothing but clouds and even more stars. He was afraid to even take a step, unsure if he should risk testing for a solid surface to walk on or even to see if he was meant to move at all.

But as he looked up, the sky seemed to answer his silent question as tiny stars came into being like fireflies before his very eyes. As they emitted a soft blue glow, a form begins to materialize; a form he knows all too well. He's transparent for a moment, but the very recognizable face of Sora takes shape, his eyes closed serenely as the trails emitted by the blue lights complete the outline for rest of his body. When the whole outline of Starlight Sora is complete, he opens his eyes and smiles sweetly at Riku, taking the elder teen's breath away as his blue eyes gaze at him with a fond half-lidded stare until he's finally made solid. With a last burst of blue light, Sora stood in front of him dressed similarly to Riku, but in black with a red bowtie and red cummerbund. The fitted tuxedo looked absolutely stunning on Sora's thin frame and the way the stars backlit his figure as he held his hand out for Riku made his heart stop. He was so handsome...no, he was gorgeous.

So star-struck was Riku that it took him a moment to realize that Sora was waiting for him. Despite still being unsure of his footing, he tentatively took Sora's hand and Sora gently pulled him closer. As Riku walked, the stars beneath that looked so far away moved to catch his feet as he took each step. He didn't dare look down anymore as he kept his eyes locked on Sora's beautiful smile as he waited patiently for Riku to close the distance between them. Once they were finally together, Sora brushed Riku's cheek with the back of his hand causing the teen to close his eyes and sigh contently at the soft touch. The brunette hadn't said a word but he didn't have to. The soft melody of their hearts was all around them and the love of his life was right here before him, holding his hand...touching him...what needed to be said, really?

He was almost sad when the hand left his face but then he opened his eyes when he felt the hand move to his hip. He looked down to see Sora's lips still curved in a soft smile as if waiting. With a smile, Riku leaned his head down and pressed their foreheads together briefly and whispered, "Sora...you lead."

The smaller teen looked up and tilted his his head as his face lit up with pure delight, his eyes crinkling closed as he flashed a brilliant white smile before he started leading them into a slow waltz. Riku was a little unsure of his steps, but Sora moved gracefully and never moved any faster than Riku could keep up with. Once he got the hang of it, they moved faster, the stars beneath them sparkling and leaving trails of color as they matched their steps to support their dancing and as they spun, they kicked up like glitter all around them. Despite being a shorter lead, Sora absolutely made it work, not letting the height difference stand in the way for a single step. Even as he dipped Riku back, much to his surprise, he had absolute faith that Sora wouldn't drop him. Sora exuded confidence in every movement and every spin and every grin he gave Riku gave his stomach butterflies.

When Sora gave Riku the lead, the silverette couldn't resist picking up the speed even further, delighting in picking up the smaller teen briefly as he spun him around, dipped him, lifted him by the waist, and so on. By this point he wasn't even sure anything they were doing could be considered a waltz but it didn't matter as he took joy in making Sora smile over and over. When they ran out of breath, he was content in holding him close as they drifted into a lazy two-step, Sora's head resting against his pounding heart while he had his arm wrapped around his waist and held his hand with the other.

As Riku let out a content sigh, the light around them changed, the dark blue sky fading into purples and oranges and reds as the sun chased away the moon and threatened to rise to start a new day. 

When Riku awoke, he wasn't surprised to see that Sora had broke out of the spoon hold and had his head resting on Riku's chest. The elder teen could already feel his heart melting as the brunette continued to snore softly, his eyelashes occasionally twitching as he continued to dream. With the gentlest of touches, he brushed the young keyblade wielder's still somewhat flattened hat hair out of his face.

When Sora felt the warm, featherlight touch of Riku's fingers graze his cheek, he woke up with a smile and sighed happily as he burrowed further into the other's strong arms. "Good morning," he whispered softly as he tried to blink away the last traces of sleep from his eyes.

"Good morning," the elder teen pressed a kiss to Sora's forehead and rubbed his back to help wake him. "How are you feeling?"

"Groggy," Sora muttered. "You?"

"Same," Riku chuckled. "Though I'm sure you have it worse than I do."

"Why?" the brunette asked as he yawned into Riku's chest, which made the other male shudder as his hot breath cascaded across his skin.

"Because I'm almost certain you drank more than I did," Riku reasoned as he gave Sora a tight squeeze, as if playfully punishing him with a bear hug for his carelessness.

Sora giggled as Riku squeezed and tried poking Riku's sides to get him to let up, "How was I supposed to knooooooow? It tasted so watery!"

The poking worked and Riku let up, giving Sora another kiss on the cheek before finally disentangling their limbs so he can sit up and stretch. "You didn't have to keep drinking, you know."

"I know but we were outside allllll day and I was thirsty and we were having so much fun with Jack," Sora mumbled, borderline incoherently as he too sat up, though a little more reluctantly.

Riku couldn't help laughing at the other's trailing excuses and ruffled the other's hair, much to the other's annoyance who lazily shoved his hand away. "Anyway, I think we've had enough fun here. What do you say about heading back to Radiant Garden?" The brunette quirked an eyebrow at him in surprise. "I know, I know, but we used up a lot of supplies during that last fight and I need to get my phone fixed," Riku pointed out. "And I want to drop off the rest of your crystals at the lab. I don't like the idea of carrying those things around with us anymore."

Sora sighed and scratched his head with another loud yawn. "You're right, I guess it can't be helped. Besides, it'll be nice to see Kairi again regardless."

"There you go," Riku grinned as he leaned over the side of the bed to grab his boots. "Don't worry, hopefully we'll be in and out. If they can't fix the phone, we can always go to Disney Castle and ask Chip and Dale directly."

"Riku, your phone's pretty messed up. They might just end up giving you a new one," Sora warned him gently.

"I know, but maybe the lab can recover the data from it and transfer it to a new phone for me," the keyblade master reasoned. "I mean, it's not the end of the world if they can't, but there ARE a few things on there I hope they can recover."

Sora smiled. Something on that phone really meant a lot to Riku. He hopes they'll be able to help him. "Yeah, I'm sure they'll be able to do something."

Though Sora had never been to Tortuga before that previous night, it didn't take too long before he found a warp point cleverly hidden behind a bush next to a horse stable. With one last wave good-bye to the Black Pearl which was already sailing off into the distance, they beamed up to the gummi ship. Though they were back into their normal gear, they quickly discovered they smelled less than pleasant so each took turns showering while the other drove the gummi ship during their journey to Radiant Garden. While Sora took his turn, he left his gummi phone in his seat and it started going off just as Sora was about to enter the shower. He could hear it going off in the lower cabin and asked Riku to answer it for him before going ahead and hopping in.

Riku didn't think twice about it as he put the phone up to his ear while keeping his eyes on the skies ahead only to be greeted by the very concerned and flustered voices of Donald and Goofy. Though it was hard to make out, it seemed they were very concerned about Sora's kingstagram posts from the previous night.

"WHAGHWASSOWADWINKING!!?!?!?!"  
"A-hyuck! You better not have been driving the gummi ship!"

"Whaaaaaaa--?" Riku asked, completely taken aback by all the shouting. Then he heard Mickey grab the phone next.

"So uh, who were your new friends? Do we need to have...you know...the talk? I know you don't get to see your parents very often so--"

"Mickey, I have only a very vague idea of what you guys are talking about and no, please, not that. Not the talk," Riku begged.

"I mean the one about drinking responsibly!" the king clarified.

"Oh, right. Look, that was just a weird circumstance. We didn't plan on it, we're not going to other worlds just to party. Trust me, I don't think we're going to be drinking again for a while. And it was very watered down, I promise. Captain Jack said it was safer than drinking the actual water."

"...And you believed him?" Mickey deadpanned.

"Uh...right, pirate..."

"So anyway, are you two okay? Kairi said you didn't check in last night."

"Wait, Mickey...are you mad?"

"I'm not mad, Riku. I'm just disappointed."

"Are you really?" Riku deflated.

"Aha! No, I'm just messing with you. But in the future you two should be very careful about how you choose to let your hair down. Haha!"

"Right," the teen breathed a small sigh of relief. "Anyway, we're on our way to Radiant Garden now. I didn't check in because my phone got--" he paused, "Damaged. So we're going to see if the lab can help us out and we're going to drop off the rest of the crystals that we got out of Sora."

"Sounds good! After that, how about you two head over to the Land of Departure and check up on things?" Mickey suggested.

"Uh, sure. We can do that. Why, is something wrong?" Riku asked.

"No, I just think it'd be good if you two spent some time with them for a little bit."

"Well, okay, we can do that. I'll let you know about the phone situation later. Talk to you later, Mickey."

"Right! See ya and be safe!"

After Riku hung up, he pulled up Sora's kingstagram and saw what had apparently freaked out the father/big brother figures in their lives. Most of the photos were blurry, which made them even more suggestive, but Sora was clearly very liberal with the photos of all the dancing and the bar fighting. There was one in particular that looked incredibly risqué with him in Riku's lap with two sets of heavily endowed cleavage in the frame on either side of Riku's head with the heart-tags #no ladies, #mine, and #boyyfren. Most didn't even have heart-tags but when he did bother, they were mostly horribly misspelled. The ones that stuck out the most were #whee #pierateprty and for a photo of Riku sipping grog at the bar he simply put #hesoprety, which made the teen pretty red in the face to see.

After viewing the pictures, Riku just calmly put the phone back into Sora's seat, put the ship on auto-pilot and groaned into his hands for a good five minutes. "I don't know if I want to kiss him or wring his neck!"

It was at this time that Sora climbed up the ladder with a small towel around his shoulders as he finished towel-drying his hair. At seeing Riku distressed, he asked, "Hey, what's up?"

"Soraaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa," Riku growled through gritted teeth. "Your dads called."

"Wuh?" Sora blinked.

"Do you remember what you posted on kingstagram last night?"

"Uh..."

"Well you're about to be heart-tagged SHAKEN SORA SYNDROME!" Riku lunged!

"WAIT, RIKU, I'M SORRYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY!!!!!"

When the teens arrived at Radiant Garden, it was still hard for the two to even look at each other. Sora apologized for the whole rest of the trip but Riku still wasn't over the embarrassing conversation he had to have with the king while Sora was in the shower so he wasn't really in a forgiving mood. The keyblade master was more embarrassed than angry, but he didn't see the harm in making Sora sweat for a little longer to teach him a lesson, even though he gave the teen a good shaking by the collar already.

After they picked up some supplies, they were off to the lab where Kairi was already waiting with a whole line of embarrassing questions, which both teens refused to answer. After presenting his skewered gummi phone, it pretty clear that the only solution was to just replace it with one of the spares but thankfully the tiny memory card was undamaged, barely missed by a hair, so they were able to transfer everything to Riku's new phone. Relieved, Riku thanked them and put the charm back on his new phone and after they installed the updated Tron app on it, he was all set. But of course as soon as the new phone was set up he was plagued with messages from everybody else about all the fun he and Sora had last night and he was tempted to just shut off his notifications for at least the next week.

Once that was squared away, Riku presented Ansem the Wise with the last of the crystals which they dumped into the tank with the rest of them, but when he dumped them in like last time, something very strange happened. Almost immediately, the crystals started moving. Alarmed, they quickly closed the top of the case as soon as they were able and everybody gathered around to watch the crystals crawl toward each other to converge into a heart shape with the long spire-shaped crystal sticking out of the top, like a blade plunging itself into the heart.

Upon seeing this, Sora started backing away. "Uh, guys, I don't have a good feeling about that. Can you guys just zap it or whatever you were going to do already?"

"About that," Ienzo sighed, "We've been trying to study the crystals so we can get an idea of what you two are up against. If there's a possibility that they'll use this type of weapon against you later, we need to learn everything we can about it."

While Ienzo spoke, Sora couldn't help clutching at his chest plate as he kept his eyes trained on the now heart-shaped pile of crystals.

"Have you learned anything yet?" Riku asked.

Kairi shook her head, "Just that they clearly attract heartless and everything else just supports the data that you already sent us. They've been moving on their own in the case, but this is the first time they've formed a shape. Also they don't seem to freak out whenever I'm near the case but they wiggle around differently depending on who's nearby."

As she said this, the black crystal heart started clinking against the side of the case as if pointing itself right at Sora, who again backed away until he was nearly out of the doorway. "Well, uh, good luck with that. Um...thanks for the visit. I think we should get going."

"Right," Riku agreed. "We're heading for the Land of Departure next."

"Oh great! Could you take this chocolate to Ventus for me?" Kairi reached into her purse and pulled out some baking chocolate. "I've been meaning to get it delivered to him but I've been busy."

"Sure!" Riku accepted the small box. "We'll be going now. Thank you for the new phone."

"If there's anything you need, don't hesitate to ask," Ansem nodded.

As soon as the teens left, Kairi went back to work observing the new activity from the crystals that have plagued her best friend's body for so long. They had stilled when Sora and Riku took off in the gummi ship and separated again, causing her to wonder if they'll only do that when Sora is around. But then as the day wore on, they began floating on their own accord, like glittering fish in a tank in a cylindrical pattern, occasionally rejoining into the heart shape again and re-separating, almost like clockwork.

"Master Ansem, I think we should have a camera on the tank for now on," Kairi suggested.

"I have to agree. I am curious as to what they'll do when we're not around to watch them. Though I have seen similar crystals while in the realm of darkness, I think it's safe to say that these pieces might now be linked to Sora," the wise man pondered.

"You're suggesting they've imprinted on him?" Ienzo asked.

"That could very well be. Even though they've been separated from him, they may try to return to their original host."

Kairi looked back into the case and felt something as she watched the glass-like crystals float inside the case, something that invoked sadness in her heart. "Is it weird to say that they're kind of pretty?" she asked as the amethyst-like crystals caught and reflected the florescent lab lighting. "It's strange...I say that, but when I look at them I also feel sad. But it's a familiar kind of sad. Like they're showing me something I've already seen before."

Ienzo looked at Ansem, "That IS strange. There is a neutralizer in the case that keeps the stones from emitting any darkness that should influence any of us. And since she's a princess of light so even if the case were defective, she shouldn't be feeling anything at all, right?"

"Perhaps. But remember she is also very connected to Sora so she could be sensing the crystals' connection to his heart," Ansem explained.

"So that just further supports your theory," Ienzo nodded. "But what does this mean?"

The red-headed continued to gaze at the crystals with fascination. When they reformed into a heart, she swore she could almost see Sora's eyes looking at her for a brief second before they split apart again. Startled, she shook her head and tore her eyes away to look at the other two. "I think this means that we need to hurry with our experiments and destroy these things as soon as possible."


	43. To Find, To Lose

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> When the smaller spoon gets to be the big spoon, it's called jetpacking.

Before the ship even landed in the Land of Departure, the two thought there was a fireworks show going on in one of the sparring yards. From the cockpit, they could see two keyblade wielders going at it with much gusto and flair. Flashes of blinding light flared up every other second, making it really hard to see who was even fighting, but Sora had a pretty good guess.

When they touched down, they were greeted by Terra and Aqua and Naminé wasn't too far behind.

"Hey guys!" Sora waved as he hopped off the ship.

"It's so good to see you, Sora!" Aqua greeted with a warm smile while Naminé hurried to give Sora a hug.

Terra greeted Riku with a friendly nod and a firm handshake, "Welcome back. Did you run into any trouble on the way over?"

"Nothing too rough, just the usual heartless mobs," Riku grinned and noticed how disheveled Terra looked. "You look tired, everything okay?"

"Yeah, the trainees over there still have a lot of energy to burn off, so we let them go at it over there," Terra pointed to the adjacent training yard where Xion and Roxas were still going at it.

"Haha! They look like they're having fun!" Sora laughed. "Where's Ven?"

Aqua crossed her arms, "He's been pushing himself too hard lately, so I've encouraged him to get a new hobby. He might be in the kitchen right about now."

"New hobby?" the brunette tilted his head. "Cooking?"

"Baking, actually," Aqua smiled. "Though I'm starting to regret it. He's going to make us all fat."

"Why don't you go say hi, Sora? And give him the chocolate from Kairi while you're at it," Riku offered him the baking chocolate.

"Sure!"

"It's the third door on the right," Aqua instructed.

"Got it!" Sora grinned and hurried to run inside, eager to see his friend.

Sora wasn't sure if the building could be described as a castle or mansion or whatever, but its beauty always blew him away with its polished floors and tall windows with brightly-lit rooms. He didn't really get to take it all in the last time he was here and this time he felt like a tourist as he made no hurry to walk through the hall to find the kitchen which surprisingly didn't take him too long to find. Even though he didn't explore very much before, this place felt very familiar to him. So when he didn't find Ventus in the kitchen, he felt no qualms about searching for him on his own.

After two flights of stairs, he walked by a room with a spectacular view of the mountains. The brunette stopped and peeked his head in to see a bed near the window sill, a messy desk, telescope, and a bookcase filled to the brim with reading material. There was even a record player in the corner and a toy submarine next to a potted plant hanging from the ceiling. He had a good feeling this was Ven's room. Suddenly the sound of running water coming from a behind a closed door inside the room startled Sora out of his thoughts. Not a moment later, Ventus emerged from the adjoining bathroom with a towel over his shoulders wearing baggy cargo pants and his usual sleeveless, black crop top. The blonde was clearly very surprised to see Sora as he froze in place. Sora himself was speechless because for one he didn't even know that Ven's usual black shirt that he wore beneath everything was even a crop top and two, Ven had clearly put on a little more muscle mass and he's grown at least an inch taller, if not more.

After a moment of awkward silence, Sora offered up the box of chocolate, "Heh. Hey, Ven! Kairi asked me to give you this."

"H-hey, Sora," the teen chuckled and tossed the towel aside to take the chocolate from him. "Thanks. I didn't know you were visiting this soon."

"Well, you DID say come by for cake," the brunette chuckled.

"That's right, I did!" Ven laughed and the two broke into a fit of giggles at their own awkwardness. After they had calmed, he noticed Sora kept looking him up and down, "Something wrong?"

"You've gotten taller," Sora pointed out.

"Yeah, but so have you!" the teen beamed and scooched closer to Sora.

"You're still taller, though," the brunette pouted.

"It's only an inch," the blonde laughed, "Honestly, it's impossible to tell. Your hair is just so spiky!"

"You're just saying that."

"No, I mean it!" he smiled as he set aside the chocolate. "I'm really glad you're here, Sora."

"Hm?" Sora tilted his head at the soft change in Ven's voice but he flashed him a white smile, "I'm happy too, Ven."

The blonde shook his head, "No, I mean, it's because there's something I've wanted to say."

"Something you wanted to say?" the brunette blinked. "Like what?"

The other keyblade wielder rubbed the back of his head, "It's just...I never got a chance to thank you."

It was getting harder for Sora to even hear the blue-eyed boy as he shied his face away so he stepped in even closer, "For what?"

"You know...for everything..." the blonde clenched his fists and bit his bottom lip before suddenly reaching out and giving Sora a hug. "You've done so much for me, Sora!"

"Ven..." the brunette was a little caught by surprised and stiffened in Ven's tight embrace as a blush rose to his cheeks but as he felt Ven trembling, he returned the hug. "Ven?" he whispered.

"I'm so sorry...So sorry I couldn't be there for you," Ven sniffled as he tried to keep the tears from falling down his face. "I'm sorry I couldn't help take care of you when you needed it most!"

"It's okay," Sora said softly as tears stung his own eyes.

"No, it's not!" Ven pulled away to clutch Sora's shoulders. "I went with Terra and Aqua into the Realm of Darkness to find the guys who did that to you, but even then..." he trailed off.

"Hey!" Sora reached to thumb away the tears on the blonde's cheeks. "All of you have done more for me than I could have ever asked for. It's me who should be thanking you! So please...don't cry. I'm just so happy to have you as a friend."

"Sora..." the blond smiled softly before he gently cupped the back of Sora's head and pulled him forward to kiss him on the cheek. "I also meant to give you that earlier."

"F-for what?" the brunette blushed as Ven pulled away.

"For your birthday!" the other chuckled cutely.

"Oh...well thanks!" Sora laughed. "The other guys just pinched me."

"Oh, was I supposed to do that too?"

"No, that's okay!" the brunette raised his hands and backed away. "I'm good! So you promised me cake?"

"Oh, right!" Ven grabbed the chocolate again and waved for Sora to follow him back to the kitchen. "Aqua told me I've needed to slow down on my training before I hurt myself. So I've been really getting into baking. I'm not sure why, but it felt right."

"Yeah, I can see what she means. You look like you've been working hard, Ven."

The blonde blushed and scratched his cheek, "Oh, so you've noticed?"

"Well yeah!" Sora grinned.

"Aw, well thanks!"

The two laughed as Ven led Sora inside where a cake was still cooling on the countertop waiting to be frosted. "Ever frosted a cake before, Sora?"

"I've frosted a few things at the restaurant. Though I had a lot of help."

"Better than me, I'm sure! I can make awesome frosting but I can't decorate to save my life. Wanna help me put on the final touches?"

"Absolutely!"

While the two were inside making cake magic happen, Riku was busy having a little sparring session with Terra. Roxas and Xion had already taken a break and were sitting on the sidelines with Aqua to cheer the two on, except for Roxas who was of course heckling Riku whenever he got the chance.

"Come on, Riku! I thought you were stronger than that!"

"Hey, that's enough from the peanut gallery!" Riku huffed as he recovered from the last blow and lunged at Terra again.

"The only peanut here is you!" Roxas cackled.

Even when the match was called a draw, Roxas continued to give Riku a hard time. "You're just lucky that we wore Terra out before you got here."

Xion playfully shoved Roxas. "You're being so mean today!"

"Is it because you whooped him good, Xion?" Riku smirked.

"Yeah, probably!" Xion laughed.

"Yeah, you did," Roxas chuckled good-naturedly. "But I'll get you next time!"

"Same time tomorrow?" the brunette grinned.

"Oh you know it!"

"Not so fast, you two," Aqua interrupted. "Tomorrow you have chores to do, just like everyone else." She chuckled and pat them both on the head as they groaned. "Now go get cleaned up for dinner."

"'Kay!" the two teens cheered obediently before running inside, playfully shoving each other along the way.

Riku chuckled as he wiped the sweat from his brow. "Good match, Terra."

"Likewise. Glad to see Sora's clearly been keeping you on your toes," Terra smirked as he dismissed his keyblade.

"Oh you have no idea," Riku laughed. "So how have you all been since I saw you last?" He especially looked at Naminé as he asked this.

Naminé caught him looking at her and blushed sheepishly while tucking her hair behind her ear. "Well...I haven't been doing much, honestly. Just trying to help out where I can."

"You've been a big help," Aqua assured her as she offered her a hand to lift her off the steps so they could all walk inside together. "There's more to helping than being good with a keyblade, you know."

"Thank you, Master Aqua," the blonde smiled.

After everyone had showered and cleaned up, they headed to the dining room where Naminé had already set the table with a large meal of spaghetti and meatballs for everybody with a very messily iced chocolate cake at the head of the table for all to enjoy. Sora and Riku had a great time catching up with everybody while they ate at the table. Apparently Roxas and Xion's energy has surpassed Master Terra and Aqua's so after warm-ups and training, they let the two go at it for themselves. At first, Aqua tried to help them burn off the pent-up energy with a lot of magic practice but the two grew frustrated with it, as they found their energy lied more in their explosive power rather than their magical prowess so they were more than happy to challenge each other than to challenge their brains. Besides, Roxas argued they do enough of that with school anyway, so what's the point in studying magical theory if they can't even use it in every day life with the rest of the normal folk? Terra even found it hard to argue with this. After all, the three young teens have made it very clear that they want to live normal lives and are only in this until the threat to that dream is eliminated. They know as long as the enemy is out there, they can't sit around and do nothing. On top of that, the three are extremely driven to help Sora in any way they can.

Because of this, they've even declined armor except for protection in the training yard. In actual combat, they're preferring to stick to their old organization coats to protect from the darkness. In the meantime, Naminé has worked very hard to help around the castle as well as keep contact with Kairi about any and all updates. She's also been working diligently on her studies while spending her free time drawing. She and Ven have also grown close as they worked together in the kitchen. Terra and Aqua have enjoyed having new students to work with, even if they were a bit rowdy. It was certainly different from learning along with Ven, but outside of combat there were numerous other things they enjoyed teaching them, things that their own master got to share with them when they were learning.

When it came time to cut the cake, everybody congratulated Sora on his recovery. "When all those four all woke up at the same time, I had a feeling something was up," Aqua smiled. "Then we noticed there was a meteor shower and we all went outside to watch. The entire time, we were thinking of you."

"Aw, guys," Sora could already feel himself tearing up. "I think I could feel it, too, all of you. I could feel something helping me the entire time and for once I wasn't scared. I mean yeah, it hurt, but I wasn't scared."

"It's true, in fact I felt it too, but I wasn't sure why until we unwrapped his bandages for the night and Sora was lit up like a Christmas tree!" Riku snickered.

"Really? Like the ones in Christmas Town?" Xion asked. "The one in Jiminy's journal?"

"That's right," the silverette smiled.

"Well, we're glad for you both. We all know it hasn't been easy," Terra nodded as he took a bite of the cake Ven had made.

"Yeah, but having friends like all of you has definitely made it easier," Sora smiled broadly.

After having been sufficiently stuffed full of food and cake, all the teens save for the masters ran out to the training yard to catch fireflies and rough house while the others leaned on the stone wall and watched.

"Riku," Terra looked over, "Where are you two headed next?"

Riku looked between the two masters as he leaned back. "I'm not sure yet. Yen Sid did give us a schedule a while back, but I've pretty much abandoned it. Sora has been the number one priority." He smiled as he watched the brunette and Roxas wrestle in the grass. "We've gotten this far by following his heart and I think it should stay that way."

"Yes, but remember where his heart also led him before all of this," Aqua added solemnly as she lifted herself up to sit on top of the wall. "I'm not saying you're doing anything wrong, but be sure to take everything with an extra grain of salt. Hearts can be misled very easily."

Riku sighed and crossed his arms, "I know. But..."

"But what?" Terra asked.

"It's just...I don't want Sora to ever doubt his heart. Sure, it's led him into some snags, but that's what my job is; to help him when he's in trouble. He's done so much good than not without ever questioning his heart. It should stay that way."

"You're a good friend, Riku," Aqua smiled as she gently gripped Riku's shoulder. "But sometimes part of growing up is accepting your limits. Sora has had to learn the hard way and one day you'll have to learn that you can't protect him from everything."

Riku smirked as he watched Sora lift Naminé on his shoulder so she could catch a firefly that tried to fly out of reach. "Like hell I can't."

Terra laughed and slapped Riku on the back, "That's right. I believe in the both of you."

"Terraaaaaaa," Aqua scolded through gritted teeth. "This is serious."

"I'm being serious, too. Where would we be now if not for our belief in each other? Right?"

"That's true," the blue-haired woman sighed. "Just please be careful. We'd all be devastated of anything happened to you two."

"I know," Riku smiled at the both of them. "Don't worry. As long as we all have each other, I know we can't be beaten. We may have been knocked down, but we always get back up."

Before they all knew it, it had gotten very late and the mosquitos were coming out to eat them all alive, so everybody decided to turn in for the evening. Riku and Sora were offered one of the guest rooms with a bigger bed and adjoining washroom, which the two were very grateful for. As Riku completed his night-time routine and towel-dried his hair, he noticed Sora sitting on the bed and pouting at his phone. After hearing him huff for the fifth time in a row, Riku tossed his used towel at him. "Keep making that face and it'll get stuck that way!"

"Hey!" Sora laughed and tossed the towel back at Riku. "I'm not making a face."

"Yes, you are," Riku chuckled and hung up the towel before climbing onto the bed to sit next to Sora. "Seriously, what's up?"

"Everybody's getting taller than me," he pouted.

"What?"

"Have you seen Ven?"

"I mean I haven't really noticed."

"If he's getting taller, then Roxas will be taller than me too."

"Uh...does it...really bother you that much?"

Sora looked over at Riku and sighed as he put his phone on the bedside table. "I dunno. I guess I just wonder if it's because of...you know...everything."

Riku scooched onto the bed and held his arms out. "Come here."

The brunette looked over at the welcoming arms and didn't bother resisting, crawling over to enter his embrace and letting out a small content noise as Riku squeezed him gently in his lap with Sora's back resting against his chest.

"You're not small to me," Riku assured him. "You're fun-sized."

Sora snorted. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"Do you like being held like this?" Riku murmured softly into Sora's ear as he pulled him closer to his chest.

"Yes," Sora whimpered as settled further between Riku's legs.

"Do you like it when I carry you?" the other asked as he started planting soft kisses down the left side of Sora's neck.

"Mmm...yes...but are you saying you couldn't do that if I were taller?" Sora smirked as he unconsciously tilted his head to give Riku more access.

"I probably could, but it'd be harder," Riku explained. "Point is, I'd love you no matter what, but I do very much like how perfectly you fit with me."

"I guess...I like it too, then," the brunette blushed as he put his hands over Riku's. "I love you so much."

"I love you, too," the elder teen sighed as he nuzzled Sora's spiky mane. "Does it really bother you that much if I crack jokes at your height? Cuz if it does--"

"It's fine, Riku," Sora giggled. "Just as long as you can take it if I dish it back."

"Deal," the other chuckled and pressed a kiss to Sora's temple as he gave him an extra squeeze. "You ready for bed?"

"Yeah," the brunette nodded and turned in Riku's lap to give him a good night kiss. "Thank you."

"For what?" Riku kissed back.

"Just for being you."

"Likewise."

That evening, Sora had his arms wrapped around Riku, face buried in his silky silver hair as he slept. The brunette loved how it felt to have his arms wrapped around Riku's broad frame, to have his arms tucked under his large biceps while he snuggled into his back, so it was really a shame when something stirred him from his sleep. Something he couldn't quite name told him to look outside, so he carefully untangled his limbs from Riku to glance out the window to find Xion sneaking out to the training yard in her pajamas and an olive green bath robe. Curious, Sora decided to go check it out. Careful not to disturb Riku's slumber, he slipped out of bed and grabbed a bathrobe from the coat hook near the door to follow after her.

As he ran out onto the grass, he resisted the urge to giggle as the dewy grass tickled the bottoms of his feet when he walked. In his haste he had forgotten to grab any shoes but that wasn't really important. He found Xion sitting on a stone wall overlooking the edge of one of the cliffs, her head tilted up towards the sky. "Xion?"

"Sora?" she whipped around. "What are you doing out here?"

"I was going to ask you the same question. Mind if I join you?"

"Uh, sure," Xion smiled as she brushed a loose hair behind her ear.

In one quick motion, Sora hopped up onto the wall to sit next to her. "Couldn't sleep?"

"I like to come out here and think about things sometimes," the teen explained as she pulled her robe tighter around herself. "Isa told me once that sometimes when things seem confusing or like too big to handle, to just look up at the sky. It's chaotic, unstable, and there are things happening all the time, things bigger than yourself. When you think of it that way, your problems don't seem like such a big deal...and then they seem more manageable."

"I guess that's one way of looking at it," Sora chuckled nervously. "Seems kind of cynical, but I think I get it."

Xion giggled, "Yeah, he means well."

"So is there something bothering you?" the brunette asked. "Er...I mean, you don't have to tell me if you don't want to. I don't mean to pry, of course."

Xion clasped her hands in front of herself. "I guess I've been a little confused, lately. Everything is so new to me and it seems to all be happening at once. Things are the same and yet they're different? I don't know if I'm making any sense."

"I think I get it. You have a new life, a new family, a new school, new friends, it can be a lot to take in," Sora sympathized as he swung his feet playfully over the edge.

"Axel and Isa have been very helpful, and so has Kairi, but there's a question I have that I don't know who else to ask."

"Really? What is it?"

A blush quickly rose to Xion's face as she clenched her fingers tighter together. "Sora...what's it like being in love?"

The question threw Sora for a loop and soon his face was almost as red as hers, "Uh...you sure you want to ask ME about that?"

"Well, of course. Axel says love is complicated, but if you can understand it, then I can too, right?"

Sora snorted, "What's THAT supposed to mean?"

Flustered, Xion waved her hands in front of her face, "Wait wait wait, I didn't mean it like that!"

The brunette doubled over laughing, "It's okay, really. I get it." He cleared his throat as he wiped a tear of mirth from his eye. "I wish I had a good answer for you, but it's like Axel said: love is complicated." He turned to smile at her.

"I know there are different kinds of love. But how do you know if you're IN love?" Xion asked as she looked at him intently. "How do you feel around Riku?"

"Well to be honest, I didn't even know that I was in love with Riku until recently."

"Yeah, we know," she smirked.

"Heeeeeeey," Sora huffed and crossed his arms. "Well if you know so much, why are you asking me?"

"I'm sorry!" Xion put her hands up and bowed in apology. "Please, go on."

The brunette smiled and looked up at the stars. "I guess when I look at him, he's just the most amazing person to me. Even when we fought or argue, I always thought he was so cool. I still do. When I'm with him, it's like nothing else matters. I'm just happy. When he smiles, I can't help but smile back, even if I'm sad. When I hold his hand, it's hard to let it go. It just feels like we belong together. Heh," he chuckled as he broke out into another blush. "Now I'm the one who's probably not making any sense."

"Isn't all of that...how one can feel about a best friend, too?" she asked tentatively.

Sora smiled, "That's true, it can be. But there's a difference between loving your best friend and being IN love with your best friend. It's a small difference, but it's an important distinction and it's not always easy to see. I mean I didn't see it for a long time...as you know."

"So how do you know the difference?"

"Hm...well, that's the thing, it's different for everybody. I've seen how many examples of love and often I've compared Riku and I to each of them, just to see what would fit because I didn't know either. I guess you could say I didn't know falling in love with my best friend was even an option. I've always loved Riku, but I didn't know that it could ever be more than that. And when I figured it out...I realized I wanted it more than anything in the world."

"So when DID you figure it out?"

"If I'm completely honest...I think it was in the Keyblade Graveyard. I was still...sort of questioning my feelings for Kairi. I love her as a friend, but I wondered if she wanted more than that or whether I should be wanting more. But on the way back after having rescued everybody, when she held my hand, I realized then it was much different than holding Riku's hand. But it was too difficult to think about then. You could say the timing was very bad," he grinned sheepishly. "But when I was asleep, I had a lot more time to think about it. So when Riku asked what I wanted when he visited my dream, I finally told him."

"So you knew just by holding her hand?" Xion blinked.

"Yeah, I guess you could say that," Sora smiled softly.

"Sora...can I hold your hand?" she asked shyly.

"Uh...I guess, if you really want to," he awkwardly glanced to the side as he offered it to her. 

Xion reached for it and when she held his hand, she felt him gently close his hand around hers and closed her eyes. The two sat there like this for several long moments while Sora watched her face, not daring to interrupt her thoughts because it was very clear that this was important to her. When she opened her eyes again, she gave Sora a smile so wide it made her eyes crinkle cutely. "Thanks, Sora. I think I get it now. You really should give yourself more credit."

"Haha, I'm glad," he beamed back just as happily and once she released his hand, they both turned their heads to look up at the sky. "Soooo..."

"Not telling," she giggled.

"That's fair."

. . . . . . . . . . . .

Under the cover of the dead of night and totally not cheating by using portals of darkness, an intruder appears in the infamous lab of Ansem the Wise.

Xigbar, armed with a cylindrical glass container with a handle on the end of it causally strolls over to the acrylic case that holds the shards of darkness that had been extracted from Sora's body, its contents in a perpetual cycle of floating aimlessly before forming a dark crystal heart with a spire through the middle before breaking apart again. After glancing around with his one amber eye for any other signs of life to ensure the coast was clear, the cloaked man click a few buttons, allowing the cylindrical container to suck up the shards and lock them up safely inside. "Mission accomplished," he grinned.

But just as he's about ready to leave, a female voice shouts through the dark, "Caught you!" before all of the lights suddenly turn on at once. In the center of the lab, Kairi stood with her keyblade drawn. Behind her, Leon, Yuffie, and Tifa stood ready to fight. With her keyblade held high, the princess yells "Tron, Activate Security Protocol!" and suddenly Claymore starts erupting out of the floor in white bursts to attack the surprised sniper.

Though he was certainly surprised, he was by no means intimidated, simply shouting "I'm out!" before summoning another portal of darkness to escape through.

"WAIT! STOP!" Kairi shouted as she chased after him through the portal, leaving everybody behind as Leon yells for her to stop.

The rat-tailed man barely paid her a black glance as he walked through the dark corridor, "Better turn back, Princess. This ain't your fight!"

"That's where you're wrong!" Kairi shouted as she put her hand out in front of her to make a shield barrier so Xigbar can't escape. "Now hand it over!"

"As if!" he huffs as he summons his weapon, Sharpshooter. "I'll give you five seconds to turn back."

"FORGET IT!" the red-head roared as she lunged for Xigbar and starts slashing at him over and over, her attacks so quick that they leave trails of bright light in their wake. However, the man is barely humoring her, simply blocking her attacks until finally she zigs and zags and knocks him flat on his back.

"Not bad, princess, not bad," the one-eyed man chuckled as he got to his feet. "Now let's see if you can dance!" Suddenly the air all around them is filled to capacity with red lasers, all focused in on the lone guardian of light.

Acting fast, she puts up a barrier of light, but even as she blocked, some managed to break through, singing her a little at a time, until it began to sting worse and worse. Then just when it all seemed like it was over, another blast of blue lasers came next. By now her block was all but penetrated and one last strike shattered her guard, sending her flying across the other end of the corridor until she crashed into her own light barrier.

"Just stay out of it, your highness," Xigbar scoffed.

"NO! YOU HURT MY FRIEND, YOU HORRIBLE MAN!" Kairi screamed as she got back to her feet. Before the man could say another word, she threw her keyblade at him and disappeared in a flash of light. Xigbar blocked the keyblade, but Kairi had teleported along with it and began slashing down on him again with many furious blows until he teleported away and aimed another round at her back.

"Heads up!" he shouted before firing a barrage of missiles at not just Kairi, but the barrier behind her as well until it cracked and shattered like glass and broke down all around them. But even with the barrier gone, he kept going and going until Kairi was forced to one knee while holding up her keyblade to block as much as she could. Once the assault was over, she was so banged up she could barely move, her chest heaving as she tried to find the strength to stand up again. Figuring that she'd stay down, Xigbar adjusted his grip on the container and walked right past her.

"Do you not feel anything about what you've done?!" she shrieked at his back as she struggled to stand, using her keyblade to prop herself up.

The cloaked man stopped dead in his tracks. "Why should I?"

"YOU NEARLY KILLED HIM!! For a week I watched my friend slowly die before my eyes! For a month we wondered if he'd ever wake up again! And then when he woke we had to watch him suffer and struggle with what you people have done to him!! I'll never forgive you for that! Not for as long as I live!" she screamed, tears forming in the corners of her eyes but she wouldn't dare let them fall. This man wasn't worth her tears.

Xigbar scoffed and barely turned to look at her, his one eye meeting her furious glare, "The path he is on is filled with nothing but suffering and it's high time he's accepted it. There are powers at work bigger than him and all of you. In the end, your fates will all be the same."

"I don't care about higher powers or fate or destiny or whatever you're spouting. I'm talking about YOU!" she stood up and readied her stance one last time, pearlescent balls of light shimmering all around her as feathers fell from the sky. "All the pain you've caused him! All the suffering you've inflicted! YOU'RE GOING TO PAY FOR ALL OF IT!" With everything she had, Kairi gave one last forward thrust, disappearing in a flash of light to appear above Xigbar, both hands around her keyblade while flanked by a pair of giant glittering wings, swinging Destiny's Embrace down on Xigbar with all that she had.

But just before her Keyblade could even make contact, Xigbar had already aimed the tip of his weapon at her face. When her keyblade came down, the ends connected, and an explosion of light and lasers blasted the two of them apart, sending Kairi flying through the air as she braced herself at the last moment with her arms and wings crossed in front of her while Destiny's Embrace took the brunt of the explosion and Xigbar skid across the floor down on one knee while clutching the cannister in his other hand for dear life. With her a fair distance away, he booked it down the dark corridor.

"NO! STOP!" Kairi called after him, landing on her feet and limping towards the dark. "GET BACK HERE!!" she shouted as she wandered into black void, reaching and fumbling blindly for any sign of the escaping man. "COME BACK!!" But before she could take even one more step, she heard a voice.

_"Kairi!"_

"No, not yet! He's getting away!"

_"Kairi, STOP!"_

A hand on her shoulder yanks her back and she's dragged back to the world of light by Axel who now has her by the shoulders, "You idiot!! Don't you remember what happened the last time you chased things in the darkness?"

"I had to stop him, Axel! I had to try!" she cried, tears now streaming down her face as she looked up into his fierce green eyes, only being slightly comforted while Aerith cast a healing spell on her.

Now that his friend was out of danger, the taller red-head sighed and hugged her tightly, "I get it, but Sora would be very sad if you had gotten hurt."

Kairi began to sob as she clutched Axel's middle, "I'm so sorry, everyone. I failed."


	44. Loving You, Loving Me

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sora assesses how much his body has changed and how it will continue to change while he tries to imagine what the future might hold for him and Riku.

After watching the stars for a little longer with Xion, both her and Sora decided to turn back in. The keyblade wielder tried his best to very quietly sneak back into his room without alerting Riku, his movements slow and precise as he hung up the bathrobe he had borrowed and tip-toed to the bed. Riku was still sleeping very soundly, but Sora noticed he had rolled over in his sleep so he couldn't just sneak in and resume the same position as before. After mentally cursing his luck, he softly padded over to the bed and gently lifted the blanket and did his best to slide underneath without dipping the bed too much. Once he was in, he turned to his side and got all comfy, ready to fall asleep almost as soon as his head hit the pillow.

But then Riku's strong arms suddenly reach out and grab him, pulling him close and growling into Sora's ear, "Where have you been?"

Sora squealed at the playful gravelly voice tickling his eardrum as Riku started nibbling on the back of his neck. "I went out for a walk!" he giggled.

"Uh-huh," Riku growled again and made omnom noises as he moved to nibble along Sora's shoulder.

"I waaaaasssssss~" Sora insisted, giggling as Riku squeezed him tighter while he omnommed.

"Sure you weren't trying to sneak some extra cake?" Riku murmured as he moved back up to nom on the brunette's sensitive earlobe.

By now Sora was kicking his feet as he struggled in the keyblade master's grasp, his giggling dying down to sweet little mewls as Riku's playful bites started becoming a little more sensual. "Noooooo. You know I wouldn't try to sneak cake without bringing you along."

"I don't need any cake. I got something sweet right here," Riku grinned as he moved to press his lips to the nape of Sora's neck where he knew one of his small star-shaped scars were and began gently sucking on it.

Sora gasped and curled his toes, stilling except for the shudders that coursed down his spine, "W-wait, Riku~" He let out a soft moan as the suckling continued, the sensitive spot sending jolts of pleasure down his arms and legs and it took every bit of control he had to not flail as he felt small spasms erupt in his limbs. When he forced his eyes open, he caught sight of their reflections in the vanity's mirror across the room and could see a glint of Riku's eyes glowing bright pink beneath a half-lidded stare which made Sora wonder if Riku was still half-asleep.

"Mmm..." the elder teen moaned before removing his lips with a small wet pop. He then proceeded to blow on the spot so he could enjoy feeling the smaller teen shiver in his arms. "Sora~" he whispered, his hot breath cascading over the delicate shell of Sora's ear as he began moving his hands. "Sora...Sora...Sora..." he breathed between kisses, his voice laced with the barest hint of need.

"Riku..." Sora quivered, his breathing quickening as he felt his heart pound harder in his chest. He felt Riku's warm hands splay over his chest before his left hand moved to graze up Sora's arm to clasp their fingers together, giving them an affectionate squeeze before releasing them and moving back down to gently grip his wrist like the neck of a guitar. Before the brunette even caught onto what Riku was doing, he felt Riku strum the scar on the inside of his wrist with a featherlight touch that had him moaning even louder and bucking back into the taller teen who hurried to lean over and silence him with a deep kiss before he woke anybody up.

Riku devoured Sora's mouth hungrily as the teen continued to mewl and writhe in his arms, the friction alone driving him wild but he wasn't going to lose himself, not now. He eased up on his grip and went back to simply holding Sora's hand, the ferocity of their heated kiss slowing down until Sora was quieter, although still whimpering as Riku could plainly see the tent he was sporting in his pajama bottoms. Finally he released him and the two quietly took a moment to catch their breaths before Riku whispered Sora's name again, this time to ask permission for what he wanted to do next, "Sora...can I--"

"Yessss," Sora hissed, interrupting the question. He didn't care what Riku was asking permission for. He was already under his spell and dying to know what could possibly come next. "Please..."

"Hold on," Riku whispered into his ear, giving him one more kiss before peeling away from Sora to grab the towel he discarded before they went to sleep while Sora whined at the temporary separation. When he came back, he took the liberty of ridding the both of them of their clothing and grabbed one of the pillows. As Sora looked on in confusion, the teen draped the now dry towel over the pillow and lifted Sora by his hips to straddle it before draping himself over the smaller teen and resuming his ministrations.

Sora moaned softly as Riku guided him over the pillow, his hips almost instantly bucking into the soft towel, length throbbing at the gentle friction as he sank into it. When he felt Riku's warm body over his own, he also felt the elder teen's hardened manhood rest against his backside, shivering as he imagined briefly how it might feel inside but groaning too as he quickly buried his reddening face in another pillow. Suddenly he felt the bed shift and Riku moved to kiss and thumb every scar on the brunette's back. Every kiss felt white-hot and sent dazzling sparks behind Sora's eyelids as his body quaked, hips desperately moving against the pillow again. To muffle his cries, he continued to smother them by gripping the second pillow but he worried if it would be enough as Riku showed him absolutely no mercy as he licked and kissed a line between every little star. "R-Rikuuuuuuu..." he moaned.

"Sora..." Riku breathed as he began moving his own hips to match Sora's building rhythm. Sora's backside was so soft and he perfectly slid back and forth between the cleft of his cheeks, creating a magnificent friction that he almost lazily enjoyed as he took in the sight of Sora writhing and moaning beneath him, taking pride in knowing that he was the one doing this to him. At one point he felt Sora buck BACK into him and he let out a low moan, completely caving in on himself, resuming draping his body over the smaller male and resting his hands next to the other's before finally interlacing them with his own. "Does it feel good?" he asked as he brushed his thumb over the scar on Sora's left wrist.

"Y-yes...yes..." Sora panted as he moved his hips faster. "Riku...I can't--!"

"It's okay, Sora," the elder teen encouraged as he pressed more kisses to the back of Sora's sweaty neck. "I want to see."

Those soft words in his ear completely broke Sora as he gave one last final burst of thrusts into the soft pillow and cried out with every jerk of his hips, "A-a-a-aaah!" while clutching Riku's hands tightly. Wave after wave of intense pleasure assaulted his brain as he rode out his climax and just when he thought he couldn't take any more stimulation, he felt something wet and hot spray all over his back. Just the feeling of that piled on top of everything else made him cry out again and he bucked his hips one last time into the pillow until his own sticky length stopped throbbing. "Riku...Riku..." he moaned as his tense body finally gave and his limbs collapsed from beneath him.

Even after Riku came, he couldn't bring himself to stop squeezing Sora for at least a minute afterwards as he rode out the last bits of his own climax. Even as he gently lifted Sora's hips to grab the towel and clean Sora off he was trembling from aftershocks. "Gods I love you so much," he praised as he wiped him down and peppered him with soft and slow kisses until finally he could no longer hold himself up. After tossing the dirtied towel aside, he collapsed next to Sora and pulled the other quivering teen into his arms to cuddle him properly while whispering more I love you's.

Once both of their frantic heartbeats had settled, Sora turned in Riku's grasp to kiss him languidly, also whispering I love you's between breaths. "I love you so much. So much."

Though exhausted, the cold night air was quickly cooling the sweat on their bodies so Riku was forced to move one last time to pull the sheets over them before both of them fell asleep once again.

The next morning, Sora couldn't help feeling restless. In fact, he woke up first to take a shower on his own. Though Riku cleaned him off last night, he still felt where some of it dried and it was beginning to feel itchy. As much as he hated pulling away from Riku, he found it impossible to lie still anymore so he made the tough choice to get up and start the day. As he leaned against the wall and felt the water cascading down his body, he shuddered at the feeling of the hot water droplets assaulting his back as each occasional drop directly struck one of the 10 scars scattered there. He looked down at the one on his left wrist and ran a finger over it curiously, feeling a twinge but nothing like what happened with Riku. Maybe it's like how they say it's impossible to tickle yourself, he wondered. Looking down at his hands and his chest, he slowly began to realize there were a lot of things he didn't recognize about himself. The landscape of his own skin has changed so much. The scar tissue on his chest was still fresh, but it didn't hurt anymore to touch it. Something about it still felt delicate, something that made him shudder as he ran his own fingers over his scars, taking in the slight hills and valleys left behind by his injuries. He felt the need to be careful as he could feel even the smallest callouses on his fingers catch and it would either itch or just give him a strange tiny zap of pain like lint from a shirt catching on a scab. In fact, that's what some of the older scarring felt like: a scab he can't peel off, forever slightly raised over the rest of the new flesh while the newer skin ran across his sternum like an inset river.

From what he could see on the rest of him, other scars were fading away. Many burn marks from lasers he couldn't block, cuts from debris raking across his body, cracks from his skin getting broken from bruising, all now resembled just slightly darker brown spots on top of his sun-kissed skin. In time, they'll probably disappear completely. But as for the star shapes and the one on his chest, who knows? Shaking his head, he went to work washing his hair which struggled to stand after it had been weighted down with water, making it appear much longer as it stuck to his face and neck. "When was the last time I even got a haircut?" he asked himself as he ran his fingers through it. As he lathered a washcloth and began scrubbing himself, he took note of how big his arms had gotten. Not nearly as big as Riku's or even Ven's now but a vast improvement over how they looked when he was still training back in Thebes. His legs were also much more toned and he now that he was taking the time to do a self-assessment, he realized there was more hair growing in certain places but it was almost comical where there WASN'T hair, as there were clear stripes where peach fuzz on his legs had rubbed off from being bandaged for so long. "Wonder how I'd look if I went back to Monster's Inc?" he wondered. "Would I have bald spots there too?" He couldn't help snickering at the visual but also he wondered if he'd resemble a badly-shaved poodle. As he gently soaped his chest he also wondered, "Would I look scarier now that I have this?"

He recalled what Riku told him on the gummi ship when he fretted about being shirtless for Ariel's wedding.

_"You're beautiful, Sora."_

He thought of Riku's eyes, how they looked at him with so much sincerity. Then he remembered last night, how Riku's hands worshipped his body wherever he touched. He shivered as he recalled those strong hands roaming all over him, his heart fluttering as he recalled how softly Riku whispered his name. Without even realizing it, his hands had wandered down where he felt the heat in his body pool to his middle, gasping in surprise at how warm his own length felt and how hot his hand felt around it. He felt himself harden in his hand way too quickly and gasped into his own free hand as he wondered if he should even dare. When was the last time he even touched himself? It felt so long ago. He had only the barest memories from easily a couple of years ago before his life changed forever of trying to make sense of the changes his body was going through. They learned about the basics in school, but obviously there were other things he would've loved to know, especially now.

He certainly never learned how to give love to another man...or how to receive it.

He leaned back against the wall, gasping as its cold surface made contact with his back as he continued to grip himself, the suds cascading down his skin as the shower washed them away. He soaped his hands again and touched himself one more time, closing his eyes as he recalled that feeling of Riku pressed against his back, how he wondered what it'd feel like to go the next step. "Nng..." he bit back a groan as he moved his hand, fumbling awkwardly as he tried to see what felt right. Fast? Slow? He recalled how clumsy it was before and how clumsy he felt when he tried to pleasure Riku. He wasn't sure what he liked, but he was definitely sure he liked what Riku does to him. But what does Riku like? He's only gotten this far by imitating Riku...at least in their dreams. In reality he felt like he's barely done anything and Riku has done so much...

He had an idea of what was supposed to come next. As he imagined it, his hand moved faster. _He looks so big...would it hurt?_ He let out a shuddering gasp as he tilted his head back against the wall, his thoughts racing as he pumped himself faster. _I love him so much. I know it'll feel good. How could it not?_ He tried to imagine Riku's fingers inside of him, imagine his girth sliding inside. _What would it feel like?_ He had so many questions. He wanted so badly to know the answers but he was scared too. "Riku..." he dared to whisper as he arched back against the wall, sparks flying behind his eyelids as he felt his hot release spurt into his hand. He felt his knees quake as he braced his free hand against the wall while he continued to pump until he felt he was sated, breathing hard through his nose to keep himself from moaning as he imagined Riku taking him into a warm, comforting embrace as he came down from his high. As the blood rushed to his head he temporarily lost himself as he all sound felt muffled in his ears. Very awkwardly he straightened back up and turned the dial on the water to a cooler temperature and let it wash over him for just a little while longer, his mind empty of thought as he waited to come back to his senses. He didn't even hear the door to the bathroom open nor did he notice Riku standing next to the shower until he rapped his knuckles on the glass door, startling him slightly.

"You almost done in there?" the elder teen smirked.

He hastily brushed the wet hair from his face and hoped his cheeks weren't as red as they felt as he grinned back at Riku. "Yeah, just a second." He didn't even bother turning off the water, just stepped out so Riku could step in after him, after exchanging a kiss first, of course.

But once Riku stepped under the water, he let out a yelp because of how cold it was and immediately turned the heat back up. "Jeez, Sora!"

The teen giggled as he dried off with a towel and fluffed his hair. "I was just saving the hot water for you."

"Thanks, but warn a guy, will you?"

"What, you worried about shrinkage?" the brunette grinned.

"Not at all," the silverette slid the door open to splash some water at Sora, which the other dodged as he hurried over to the sink to brush his teeth with the towel wrapped around his waist. As he bent over the sink and looked in the mirror, he noticed the start of some peach fuzz on his upper lip and on the sides of his face. Not a lot, but just enough to catch in the light. Despite himself, he kind of grinned around his toothbrush as he recalled his dad trying to show him how to shave with a razor on a balloon. He popped quite a few balloons. It seemed a little silly at the time to be learning so soon so maybe that's why he didn't take it seriously but it's a memory he looks back on fondly. He was rather proud of learning too and told Riku all about it the next day but Riku thought it was a weird way to learn. "My dad showed me by letting me try shaving my own face. Your dad must not have trusted you."

Looking back, it was a fair point. But that didn't mean Sora didn't pout about it for a whole day afterwards. After he finished up, Riku had just gotten out of the shower and came over to hug Sora from behind. "You were giggling," Riku observed as he placed a kiss to Sora's neck.

"I was just remembering something," Sora smiled as he inhaled the fresh scent of Riku's shampoo and leaned back into him. "Ready to start the day?"

"Not really," Riku admitted as he gave Sora another quick kiss before grabbing his own toothbrush. "I have this bad feeling."

"Bad feeling?" Sora's eyes widened. "About what?"

"I'm not sure. Something's not right but I'm not sure who to call to find out," he answered solemnly.

"That...can't be good," Sora put a hand over his own heart. He could feel it, a quiet dread. "I feel it too. I hope our friends are okay."

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 

"Ouch! That looks like it stings!"

Xigbar had returned to the Master of Masters with the crystals just as he had asked for. However, he was in pretty bad shape and the potions he chugged to recover could only do so much. Blocking so many of Kairi's blows had banged up both his wrists very badly and he had several cuts all over him from her light-based attacks that just sliced through his robe like butter. In fact, he had one arm in a sling while he carried the cannister with his other hand. "Yeah, but I got what you asked for."

"That you did!" the Master applauded as he walked over and gave him a slap on the back for a job well done. "And now thanks to this, you'll get to take a break for a little while."

The one-eyed sniper straightened up, wary of the way the Master said those words. "What do you mean by that?"

The cloaked man took the cannister and peered at the crystals inside just as they formed the shape of a staked heart once again. "I'm saying our duo is about to become a trio~"


	45. Pastoral Symphony

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The boys are off to experience the Symphony of Sorcery together!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Think of the happiest things  
It's the same as having wings.  
Take the path that moonbeams make.  
If the moon is still awake  
You'll see him wink his eye.  
When there's a smile in your heart  
There's no better time to start.

"It's giving me that same look," Xigbar growled as the their new member came into being before him.

"Oh, what's the matter? Are you shook?" the Master laughed as he playfully bopped Xigbar on the arm. "Look I'm not saying you have to be friends with it. Just keep an eye on it until the other two get here. It shouldn't be much longer now," he assured him as he walked away.

\- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

For breakfast, everybody enjoyed a feast of chocolate chip waffles crafted by Ventus and Naminé. After which, all of them ran out to the training yard to burn off all the sugar, Xion and Roxas especially.

"Sure you don't want to burn off that energy by doing your chores first?" Aqua asked as she chased after them.

Xion got caught first by her hoody and burst into a fit of giggles, flailing as her teacher lifted her by her hood. "But Sora's here!"

"That's true," Aqua sighed and released the giggling teen.

"Is Sora even up to dealing with you two?" Terra quirked an eyebrow with his arms crossed.

"Sure, I think I can play!" Sora grinned with a wink. "We have time. Right, Riku?"

"It's up to you, but leave me out of it," Riku smirked as he leaned against the garden wall with the other two masters.

"What, you chicken?" Roxas asked snarkily.

"Aw, what's the matter, Roxas?" the elder teen grinned. "Do you want to play with me that badly?"

"NO!" Roxas insisted with a huff and quickly turned his attention back to Xion, Sora, and Ven...only giving the tiniest of backward glances at Riku before focusing on the other three. "I call dibs on first round!"

"No! I want first round!" Xion whined.

Ven shyly raised a hand, "Actually, I was kinda wondering if--"

"NO!" the younger two teens answered.

"Hey, guys, there's no need to fight!" Sora chuckled with both hands up as he tried to get them to simmer down.

"Isn't that the point?" Roxas asked.

"I mean amongst yourselves!" the brunette laughed. "We can all take turns, can't we?"

"Uh, no. Riku would kill us," Roxas pointed out. "He's already giving me that look."

"Which look?" Sora turned around but if there was a "look" he must've missed it because Riku appeared to be chatting with Terra and Aqua.

"The "be careful with him" look," Xion snickered.

"WHA--!?" Sora gasped, now flustered. "You guys do NOT need to go easy on me. I got this!"

"I'm sure you do, Sora!" Ven smiled. "But you WILL be tired after taking on even one of us. There's no getting around that. That's why we want to figure out who's going first."

"Fair point," the spiky-haired brunette chuckled. 

"Why don't you three play rock-paper-scissors and figure it out then?" Naminé suggested as she took a seat in the grass with her sketch pad.

The three agreed but tied way too many times for them to count. By the time Ven got eliminated, Sora had already done his stretches twice. After about another 50 rounds between Xion and Roxas, Terra finally suggested a coin toss and Roxas won.

"SCORE!" Roxas pumped his fist into the air.

"No fair! I could've beaten you in rock-paper-scissors eventually!" Xion pouted as she took a seat next to Ven on the other stone wall. 

"So how are we going to do this?" Sora asked excitedly as he bounced on his toes a couple of times.

"What do you think?" Roxas smirked as he summoned Oathkeeper and Oblivion in each hand.

"Okay, you're on!" Sora grinned as he also summoned both keyblades, immediately transforming into double form with Oblivion in his left hand and Oathkeeper in the other.

The three keyblade masters supervising all raised their eyebrows when Sora's outfit changed. This was really going to be an interesting match. When both teens took their stances, Riku could immediately tell there was a power difference. Sora hasn't been training with dual-wielding as much as Roxas has. In fact, he's only ever seen him do it with form changes or in dire situations and ever since he's been injured, he's clearly favored the one side. Once the teens looked like they were ready to go, Terra took it upon himself to give the signal to start, "First out of the ring or to be pinned loses. GO!"

"HAAAAAAAAA!!!" both roared as they took a running start to leap at each other. Roxas's keyblades leaving deep gouges in the dirt as he dragged them behind him until he jumped high into the air with them both above his head ready to strike. Sora had flipped his own grips and was ready to do a sideways slash, also at the same height as Roxas. Both ready to give it their all as they locked gazes. But in that same instant, Sora felt his heart LEAP and his eyes widened. Roxas saw it immediately and the two twisted to either side, completely avoiding each other and dismissing their keyblades to land on the ground.

_Do de doooooooooooo~_

"KAIRI!" Sora and Riku both gasped and dug into their pockets for their phones, their hearts sensing their friend's urgency before they even looked at the screens. The two of them ran towards each other, answering their phones as their friends looked on in concern.

"Sora, Riku!" Kairi called out. "Something terrible has happened!"

"Kairi! Are you hurt?" Riku asked.

"I'm fine, but the crystals were stolen!" the redhead cried.

She told them all about how Xigbar snatched them in the middle of the night, that despite their best security efforts, he was easily able to just walk in and out. They had a feeling it was coming, so they had the Restoration Committee there to back them up in case of a break-in so they could trap him, but they didn't expect him to summon a portal of darkness that quickly.

"Yeah, don't forget the part where the committee had to call us in the middle of the night to help you out, either," Axel groaned from somewhere in the background.

"AXEL!" Kairi scolded.

"Wait, what do you mean by that?" Sora asked as he turned on the video button to see Kairi huffing at Axel who's leaning into the camera while Isa furrows his brows somewhere in the background.

"Anyway, Kairi put up a good fight, but Xigbar got away," Axel summed it up.

"I see," Sora saw Kairi's face and that told him what he needed to know. "I'm glad you're not hurt, Kairi...and the rest of you too. That's all that matters."

"That's right," Riku affirmed.

"And there's something else," Kairi continued, trying to pretend her cheeks aren't red. "Chip and Dale told us a new path has been opened to one of the worlds that you guys woke up in your Mark of Mastery exam. Yen Sid was wondering if you could take a look there next. We're still working on the IP address search, but we're very close."

Sora and Riku looked at each other and back to Kairi, "This world, is it the Symphony of Sorcery?"

"Yup! Chip and Dale should be sending the coordinates to the ship's computer now!"

Roxas and the others deflated and dismissed their keyblades at this news. After the other two teens thanked Kairi for the update and said their good-byes, Sora went to apologize to Roxas, but he held up a hand to stop him. "Next time," the blonde smiled.

"Right," Sora nodded.

"Besides, we can't kick your butt properly with your boyfriend watching us. That'd just be too cruel," Roxas smirked, looking at Riku as he said it.

"Ha! Sora would've beaten you all, and you know it!" Riku smirked back.

"GET REAL!" Roxas huffed while everybody got a good laugh.

"Before you two go, please do me a favor and take some of the snacks with you," Aqua pleaded.

"Yes! That way I can bake some more!" Ven grinned which earned a helpless smile from Terra and a giggle from Naminé.

After the two were loaded up with half a year's worth of baked goods and many a hug was exchanged, the two left for their new destination. Along the way, Sora happily bounced in his seat as he told Riku all about the things he saw and how excited he was to experience it all again.

"There might even be new things you haven't seen yet," Riku added.

"You're right!" Sora gasped. "I can't imagine what else there might be! It's so magical, there could be anything!"

When they arrived and promptly landed, they were surprised to find their first destination was just a giant crater in the ground.

"Wait..." Sora scratched his head. "Wasn't there...?"

"Master Yen Sid's tower was supposed to be here. If he's from this world, it would make sense," Riku crossed his arms.

"Oh...that's kind of sad. The world he came from fell to darkness and he only managed to escape with his home."

"And presumably King Mickey," Riku added. "Maybe."

"He must miss this place, I'm sure. This world is beautiful. But hey! Once we beat the Master of Masters, he might be able to settle down again!" Sora cheered with clutched fists.

"Yeah, you're right!" the silverette grinned. "Speaking of which, can we stop calling him that?" he asked as he started walking with Sora around the crater and down what appeared to be a flower meadow surrounded by beautiful blooming trees on all sides.

"Haha, what should we call him?" the brunette asked as he followed Riku with his fingers laced behind his head.

"Where to start?" Riku smirked and ran through a list of curse words that Sora had never heard the teen say, "Or how about Bastard?"

Sora burst into a fit of giggles. "I got it! The Bastard of Bastards!"

Riku's smirk grew wider, "Or in other words..."

"B.O.B!" they both said at the same time and doubled over with laughter.

"Man, I can't wait 'til we get Bob out of our hair," Sora giggled.

"Yeah, Bob's such a pain in the ass," Riku chortled as they kept walking.

"Screw Bob," Sora snickered.

In the distance, they could see a beautiful smooth mountain covered in colorful flowers with a gorgeous waterfall cascading from it and several small white marble gazebos. "Doesn't it look kind of like Mt. Olympus?" Sora observed.

"Yeah, you're right, it kinda does," Riku agreed as they walked through the meadow of pink flowers. As they took in the pastel-colored scenery, a gentle breeze swept through, carrying with it a soft symphony of sound that carried pink petals through the air and surrounded them with their sweet scent. The further they walked, they noticed that what they assumed to be more flowers was actually a large lake so clear and so still that it reflected the cotton candy-like clouds in the sky. Beside it stood a towering white tree with red leaves that housed a very large woven nest. The two noticed said tree and curiously wandered over to it.

"Wow!" Sora gasped as they neared the tree's trunk. "What kind of bird made this nest, do you think?"

"Honestly, I don't know if I want to find out," Riku answered warily.

But just as he said this, Sora pointed excitedly at the sky. A pegasus family swooped in with their pegasus babies and settled into the nest. The adults were a black and white pair and the babies were yellow, pink, blue, and black. "They're so cute!" Sora cooed as he stood back to watch the babies hover and play around the nest while their mother took a break.

"Wait, maybe we should stay back," Riku tried to warn the brunette but it was too late. Before he knew it, Sora was already splashing in the shallows of the lake with the baby pegasi and fauns.

"Come on, Riku!" Sora giggled as he sent a splash of water in the silverette's direction.

"Hey, watch it!" Riku scoffed, but he took the bait anyway and tackled Sora into the pastel-colored waters, rolling around with him while the fauns laughed merrily around them. Eventually a whole flock of pegasi began to fly in, ready to land in the lake, so the two quickly made their way out before they got trampled. They opted to wander to the edge of the meadow and into the forest. Here the trees were all kinds of different colors and were filled with many flowers that gently drifted from the branches on the slightest breeze and floated along tiny silver streams that cascaded everywhere. It was clear to see that this area they wandered into was well kept as there were more small marble gazebos, clear pathways, neatly trimmed curtains made of branches, and even a large rope swing hanging beneath another flowering tree.

Sora's eyes lit up in delight at all the beautiful scenery, but he was especially excited when he saw the rope swing. He ran over to it and took a seat, only to find it was large enough for two people AT LEAST. "Come on, Riku!" the brunette waved him over while patting the seat next to him.

Riku glanced around before sighing and walking over to join Sora on the swing. Each of them grabbed one rope handle and gently kicked their feet, enjoying the romantic atmosphere as they lazily swayed forward and back. As they swung higher and higher, Riku reached his around Sora's waist and the brunette leaned into him happily. He was all smiles and practically giddy, intoxicated by the beautiful scenery and the air gently perfumed with the scent of the trees' shedding blossoms. As pretty as it all was, Riku couldn't help thinking how it all paled in comparison to Sora's smile. His heart melted as he drank in the expression of pure delight and wonder on the brunette's face. The way his eyes sparkled as they followed the flowers as they fell and the way they crinkled when he smiled after the swing got high and came back down filled Riku with an indescribable joy. As his heart fluttered, he could feel his cheeks reddening and he wondered if Sora felt it, because just then, the other teen turned to look at him too. Even though he was caught staring, Riku couldn't bring himself to turn his face away, especially not when he noticed a blush rising to Sora's face as well. Together, their legs slowly stopped pumping, allowing the swing to sway on its own while their faces slowly drifted closer and closer together, their eyes only closing when their lips finally made contact.

The first kiss was long and soft and even when they parted, they kept their foreheads pressed together, gently nuzzling noses as they both sighed contently while both their hearts fluttered. Then they shared a second kiss, then a third, and the fourth one lasted even longer. By the fifth one, they were dueling tongues and Sora was pressing himself so close into Riku he would've been in his lap if it weren't for the fact that they would've fallen off the swing if he tried. Instead, they each used their free hands to squeeze each other as they lazily continued their extra long kiss, each tilting and adjusting the position of their heads so as to best explore the other from every possible angle.

When they finally parted again, the both of them heard what sounded like a stampede of thunderous hooves coming from multiple directions, so they quickly dismounted the swing and dived into some nearby bushes. Once they were hidden, they stayed low to the ground and peeked through the foliage to see centaurs charging in from the left and centaur-ettes coming from the right. As the groups met, they shouted and greeted each other with joy as there was temporary chaos while they each found their respective partners. Amongst them flew many cherubs with multi-colored hair who helped guide the rambunctious centaurs to each other and calm them much faster. After which, the pairs separated to find spots to be alone, gathering under the gazebos, on the swing, next to the pond, in the shade of trees, next to the creek, anywhere you looked, there was now a cuddling centaur pair.

The lovey-dovey atmosphere was making Sora blush so he pulled away from the bushes to look at Riku instead who quietly chuckled as they sheepishly made eye contact. Interacting with the flying horses and fauns was one thing, but here they were clearly outsiders and they didn't want to disturb all the reunited couples with their presence so the two wordlessly decided to stay in their hiding place for now. They got comfortable on the patch of soft grass and sat back against a thick tree while the bushes kept them hidden from sight. While they waited, they could hear the cherubs playing flutes all around them to serenade the centaur couples as they expressed their love. It didn't take much longer before Sora reached to hold Riku's hand who returned the gesture with an affectionate squeeze. Once they made eye contact once again, the two leaned into each other once more to pick up where they left off.

The two softly made out for some time, their kisses slow and sweet while their hands gently explored each other. Every touch felt warm and deliberate as they carded their fingers through each other's hair, rubbed their backs, and pressed their palms against each other's chests to feel the other's heartbeats. There was no urgency, no hurry, just the two of them reveling as quietly as they can manage in their moment of soft intimacy. Between kisses they sighed or whispered each other's names, but if one dared to make a noise the other was quick to help stifle it with another kiss, but sometimes even that wasn't enough to smother each other's quiet moans as they pawed and melded into each other.

As Riku drank in another one of Sora's soft mewls, he couldn't help thinking that he wouldn't have minded if this moment lasted forever. Sora fit so perfectly in his arms and the florals around them complimented the sweet, citrus-y scent of the brunette so well, he just couldn't get enough. Any time their lips broke contact for them to catch their breaths, he buried himself either in Sora's feathery chocolate locks or into the crook of his neck to inhale the gentle scent of arousal coming off of the smaller teen as he got warmer and warmer in Riku's grasp. Whenever things felt too intense, they would cool down by pressing their foreheads together again until their breathing settled, or rest cheek to cheek until they no longer felt flushed, just holding each other until they could no longer stand it and began moving again.

In Riku's arms, Sora felt like he had ascended any heaven that could possibly exist. Every time they parted and took a breath, he lost himself in those beautiful teal eyes and felt himself fall in love all over again. Each time those soft lips captured his again, he felt his body drown in a sea of warmth and Riku was his only lifeline that he clung to very happily. But even as his heart soared he didn't dare to quicken the slow pace the two maintained. He wanted to enjoy every graze of Riku's fingers, every gentle rub, every warm breath, every soft squeeze, and every shift of their bodies as they dared to press themselves even closer together. Each time they managed to break apart, he wondered if they should stop, but he couldn't bring himself to suggest it, even as their breaths shuddered harder and harder each time as they tried to keep themselves composed before pressing into each other again. Whenever he felt Riku's hot breath on his neck, Sora shivered and had to bite his own lip to hold back a moan as he melted in his grasp. Whenever Riku claimed his lips again, he wondered how much longer he could possibly hold on. It felt like a very intimate test of endurance and with every passing minute, Sora wondered how much longer he could possibly hold out before he begged Riku to take him right there on the forest floor.

By now, Sora had straddled Riku's lap as he leaned back against the tree, the two hadn't even really noticed how much they had moved from where they originally started. When they parted yet again, Sora brought both hands up to gently cup Riku's face and stare at him adoringly while his own cheeks were flushed. As he rubbed his thumbs across Riku's delicate cheekbones, he was startled from his reverie by the sounds of many stampeding hooves as the centaurs were suddenly on the move. Curious as to what was going on, Sora quickly dismounted Riku and crawled over to peek through the bushes again to see the centaurs were all following a path deeper into the woods where there was a clearing being lit by the orange glow of the slowly setting sun. Once they had all cleared out, Sora and Riku stood up and brushed the twigs and grass off of themselves.

"Wanna check it out?" Sora asked, though his voice was a little husky from the intense make out session.

"Sure, why not?" Riku chuckled and let Sora pull him along by his hand as he followed him out of the bushes to follow behind the centaurs. To be honest, he wasn't exactly sure where Sora's energy was even coming from as he felt like his own legs were very jelly-like, but then again, Sora WAS sitting on top of them just a minute ago, so he decided it was the other's fault.

The pair stayed a fair distance back so as not to be detected and observed from behind yet another bush as the centaurs and Bacchus, the god of wine, presided over a bacchanal and had themselves a party full of music and dancing and food. The two enjoyed some of the snacks they packed themselves while they watched the creatures of the forest have a good time. When they all started dancing, Sora couldn't hold still and forced Riku to join him as they danced together behind the bushes, spinning each other around and around to the beat of the merry tune. Even as the merry god of wine trips over himself and spills wine everywhere, everybody just laughs and carries on along with him.

Suddenly, the music slows, the sky becomes darker, and the party grinds to a halt. The teens looked up to the sky to see dark clouds gathering. Raindrops began to fall and somewhere high above them, it appeared to be Zeus himself shoving aside the darkening clouds as he prepared to rain thunderbolts down upon the land. All the creatures ran for cover wherever they could, baby unicorns huddled under their mothers, the centaurs and centaur-ettes took shelter in the gazebos, others fled into the bushes and the cherubs hurried to hide in the trees. Thunder rang through the sky as Vulcan forged thunderbolts with his mighty hammer and anvil and tossed them to Zeus, the lightning streaking across the sky before the god catches it and tosses it down below, nearly striking Bacchus as he fled for his life.

"Well this took a turn!" Riku shouted over the rain and thunder as he held onto Sora while the fierce winds threatened to blow them away from their hiding place. The surrounding waters grew higher and higher and the trees shook and swayed violently as it got harder and harder to see.

"We need to get out of here!" Sora shouted as they gripped the tree they were hiding behind.

Another flash of light and then a deafening boom and suddenly the bacchanal splinters into a thousand pieces, causing a cascading river of wine to flood the entire area. As it barreled down the hillside, Riku and Sora hurried to find higher land, seeking shelter in the cliffside until the storm finally began to die down and the god of lightning turned in for the evening. A soft signal of horns alerts everybody to the end of the storm. All appears to be well. As violent as the storm had appeared, it covered everything in a sparkling shower of water that everybody happily played in as Iris, the goddess of the rainbow, flies through the sky.

Sora's eyes widened in recognition and he grabbed Riku's hand to take him over to where the rainbow starts at the top of the mountain. "Follow me!" he cheered excitedly.

Riku complied but just as he was about to tell Sora that there was no possible way that the rainbow could sustain their weight, they were already walking on it and Sora was taking him up to the clouds. "Wait, slow down! Where are you going?"

"I saw this part in my dream! Haha!!" Sora laughed as he confidently led Riku higher and higher until they walked amongst the clouds, their pillowy softness holding their weight without any problem whatsoever. "Watch this!" Sora called out before he jumped from one of the clouds to glide in and out of the rainbow, following the lead of the cherubs and pegasus babies as they gleefully flew around and used the rainbow as a slide to divebomb into the lake that reflected all of the rainbow's beautiful colors.

Riku couldn't help smiling broadly, a little envious of Sora as he enjoyed gliding along. But then Sora came back and took his hands. "Come on, fly with me!"

"Sora, I don't think I can--"

"Just think of a wonderful thought!" Sora instructed as he tugged him over to the edge of the cloud.

"Any happy little thought?" Riku snorted.

"Yep!" the brunette giggled. "And faith and trust."

"Well gee, how could it not work, then?" the silverette smirked but he held onto Sora's hand. Together they leaped off the cloud and Sora broke into a glide picking up just enough speed so that Riku could fly with him. Riku's warped through the air and he's done plenty of flowmotion AND he's flown with bat wings when he fused with komory bat, but flying through the air like this completely unheeded was a completely new feeling. As they wove in and out of the rainbow's many colors, he held on tightly to Sora's hand, laughing along with him as they watched the other small creatures have fun in the puddles that reflected the rainbow with child-like fascination. Eventually Sora lost a little momentum so they landed back on the bridge and hurried back up to the clouds just in time to see Apollo drive his sun chariot across the sky, soon followed by Morpheus, the god of sleep who covered everything with his cloak of night. As the two watched on, the goddess Diana used the new moon as a bow to shoot an arrow of fire that spangles the sky with stars. It was spectacular to behold from their seat in the clouds. Together the two held hands as they watched the stars sparkle in the sky for a little while.

Everything was quiet for a little while but then Riku's ears picked up a familiar tune in the distance. He gently nudged Sora and stood. "My turn to drag you around," he winked.

Sora chuckled and stood up with him. "Alright, lead the way!"


	46. The Nutcracker Suite

"I don't see the point," Xigbar growled in frustration as the Master of Masters poured over a thick volume and scribbled notes into it with a quill.

"About what?" the cloaked man asked with a hint of irritation in his voice. "You talking about the new guy? Well it's really quite simple. He's the implement."

"The implement? You mean to tell me you didn't already have one?" the sniper crossed his arms.

"Well I diiiiiiiiiid, but somehow you managed to make a better one for me. So kudos to you! When this is all over, I'll treat you to dessert," the master applauded but then cursed under his breath as he got ink splatter on his front.

"So what are we going to do with the other five?" Xigbar asked as he handed the Master a handkerchief to clean himself off with.

"Thanks! As for them, they're going to help us out too, of course. Don't you have faith in your comrades?" he asked as he wiped the ink off of himself.

"That's not what I meant," the other grumbled, his eyes turned downcast.

The master sighed as he dipped his pen again, "Look, I get it. You've had to operate alone for a very long time, and I commend you for that. But you don't have to work by yourself anymore. You can lighten up a little bit now. Just not too much. Right?"

"Er...right," Xigbar nodded.

"Now how's our special little guy doing?"

"_It_ is just as cranky as expected. I had to lock it up," the one-eyed man snarled.

"Heh, try not to lose your cool. You won't have to worry about it for much longer," the Master promised.

. - . - . - . - . - . - . - .

The two teens followed the cloud path until they came across spires and rods of ice which Riku recognized immediately. "I know where we are! Follow me!" he waved Sora over and hopped onto one of the rails

"Right behind you!" Sora practically squealed as he hopped onto the rail behind him, grabbing Riku's hand as they flowmotioned through the clouds that eventually led them to a snowy mountain with frozen lakes and trees made of ice. As the wind whipped through them, Sora leaned further into Riku's back, "It's cold up here!"

"Don't worry, it won't be cold for much longer!" Riku promised as he squeezed Sora's hand. Eventually the rail ended at a small island surrounded by ice and the two skid to a halt. Now that the wind was rushing by their ears, they could hear music flowing in the air all around them. Every step into the packed snow and every falling, twinkling snowflake they could hear the sounds of a faraway symphony. Together the two tested to see if the ice was safe to walk on and Riku almost immediately slipped, but Sora caught him with his hand. As the two slid across the surface together, they couldn't help smiling.

"Have you ever ice skated before, Riku?"

"Can't say that I have. Though I gave it my best shot when we were in Arendelle chasing after you," he teased.

"Oh yeah," Sora scratched his cheek sheepishly. "Would you like to try with me?"

"So wait, you can dance AND ice skate?"

"Yeah, so?"

"When did you get so multi-talented?"

"I didn't know we were competing," Sora cheekily grinned as he grabbed both of Riku's hands and leaned in close.

"Heh, at least you're still bad at lying," Riku smirked as he closed the gap between them to give him a chaste kiss.

"Mmm...If I'm bad, you're even worse," Sora murred before taking a step back and pulling Riku along the ice with him. "Come on, it's easy. Just don't fall!"

"Wow, such sound advice," the other snorted as he allowed himself to be dragged along.

Together, the two danced on the ice, occasionally even got bold enough to lift Sora into the air, much to the other's delight. Flying isn't a new feat to Sora, but there was something extra thrilling about it when Riku was the one holding him up in the air. After many a pirouette, the two were sufficiently dizzy, giddy, and a little frozen in the toes so they decided to keep moving. 

Together, they descended from the snow-covered mountains to what appeared to be the a dense forest in the midst of fall, but everything was gigantic!

"Wait, is everything big or are we small?" Sora gasped as he carefully tested to see if a giant orange leaf could sustain his weight.

"I think we're small," Riku smirked and hopped onto the leaf without hesitation. As he hopped, ripples of color appeared at his feet and more music began to play.

"Wow!" the brunette gasped yet again and jumped right next to Riku to try it for himself. "This is so cool!"

The two playfully bounced from leaf to leaf, slowly making their way down the tree as they had too much fun gliding across the branches and bouncing off the tops of the mushrooms and showing off how many backflips they could do before they landed again (Sora won). Once they hit the forest floor, they noticed a group of what appeared to be colorful fairies flying above them towards another area of the forest. Suddenly it made sense to Sora why they were so small.

They quickly followed after them, noticing how they touched and grazed all the plant life wherever they went and left behind what appeared to be sparkling dew drops. The next area they found themselves in appeared to be in the midst of spring or early summer and there were towering flowers everywhere! The fairies were continuing their work, zipping around and touching every petal and spiderweb, igniting the bulbs with the colorful lights of their own bodies while making everything glitter with dew. There was music here too accentuating the graceful movements of the fairies as they decorated the flowers and the more they worked, the more vibrant everything became in the darkened forest. For about the tenth time today, Sora felt like dancing and found he just couldn't hold it in. While in the shelter of a giant green leaf surrounded by blue flowers, he offered his hand to Riku, smiling broadly when the elder teen accepted it and together the two of them danced to the music of the forest fairies.

At first it was very playful with Riku dipping Sora a lot to hear him laugh and Sora spinning Riku, but as the time wore on and the atmosphere felt a little more sleepy, their pace slowed and they held each other close as they wound down into a lazy two-step. Riku held Sora by his waist and Sora had his arms draped over Riku's shoulders while he gazed up at him adoringly.

"Is this what you imagined when you dreamed of us exploring other worlds together?" the brunette asked softly.

"Actually, this is better than anything I could've dreamed of," Riku smiled fondly as his fingers gently traced lazy patterns into Sora's lower back.

Sora felt his face flush and quickly buried it happily in the taller teen's chest. "I love you. I'm so happy we're here together."

Riku's heart fluttered at those words, his hand reaching up to entangle itself in Sora's hair as the brunette nuzzled his chest. "I love you, too." He then gently gripped Sora's head to pull him back ever so slightly so he could press a kiss to his forehead, after which he chuckled, "You're such a sap."

Sora cooed happily, eyes fluttering closed at the soft kiss but not even missing a beat he grinned and murmured, "Yeah? Look who's talking," before standing on his toes to trap the taller teen in a longer kiss.

"Mmph!" Riku was caught off guard, but he was smiling so broadly that he broke the kiss. "You got me."

"Hee, I got you~" Sora smiled back, his eyes crinkling so cutely as he looked up that Riku couldn't resist kissing the tip of his nose.

Just then, everything got noticeably quiet and the two looked around in confusion. There weren't any fairies in sight and it seemed a little darker except for one small area and in the center of that area were WHITE MUSHROOMS!

"Wait, those are heartless, aren't they?" Riku asked as he whipped around to look at them properly.

"Yeah! But the good kind!" Sora let go of Riku, tempted to run over and take a look, but he stopped dead in his tracks when he saw a miniature white mushroom standing amongst a group of six. "It's soooooo cute!"

Startled, the seven mushrooms suddenly shook the dewdrops off their red caps and the music that had gone missing before had suddenly picked up and the little mushroom troop began dancing...or at least that's what they appeared to be doing. The little one was just shaking itself around a lot while weaving in and out of the other six and whenever it shook, the others shook.

"That's gotta be one of the cutest things I've ever seen," Sora cooed as he watched the display.

"I guess?" Riku chuckled. "My vote's still on the baby flying horses."

"Oh yeah!" Sora giggled. "But hey, now we know for sure there aren't any other heartless here. White mushrooms only appear when there aren't any heartless around."

"So does that mean we're done here? It's getting pretty late," Riku pointed out. 

"I guess so?" Sora tilted his head. "I mean, what did we expect to find? I'm not even sure what we were looking for."

"Well, the world does seem to be returning to normal. There are definitely more creatures here than I've ever seen so I guess it's safe to assume it's been properly restored. The dancing white mushrooms over here are the only heartless we've seen, so that checks out. And we haven't run into Bob or Xigbar so I don't think there's anything else we really need to look into. I'm sure Master Yen Sid will be pleased to hear about it."

"Uh-huh!" Sora nodded happily and whipped out his phone. "We can update Tron and the others before we head out."

"Actually, that's not a bad idea. I should report to Master Yen Sid to see if there's anything else he wants us to check on before we leave," Riku added as he pulled his own phone out of his pocket.

As they looked at their screens, both saw they had at least 50 notifications from kingstagram, alerting them to the photos that the OTHER has shared. They both looked at each other suspiciously.

"When did you have time to post photos?" Riku asked.

"Same as you, apparently," Sora grinned. "You know, that might be something fun we could do sometime before we go home."

"What's that?"

"Just take a trip and take pictures of all the cool things we've seen that we didn't get to before. You know, I've been thinking about how I'd like to show my family the things I've seen in a way that would help them better understand what it is we've been fighting for. And I think it'd be a nice way to you know...finally come out and tell them about us...officially."

"You mean like a scrap book or photo album?" Riku asked. "Hmm...I kind of like the idea. Plus I'm always up for one last trip with you without having to worry about anything."

"Yeah?" Sora smiled broadly.

"Yeah," the elder teen nodded and smiled back. "We should do it."

"Hehe, sounds like a plan."

"I also find it incredibly sweet that you'll break one of the biggest rules just to tell your mom about our relationship. But first, we gotta--Wait, I'm getting a text from Kairi," Riku paused as he noticed a notification pop up next to his text messages.

"Wow, this late?" Sora blinked.

"She says they tracked the IP address. They know where Bob is!"

"THEY FOUND BOB!?" Sora leaped and checked his messages. A second later he got the same notification. "Holy cow! Well...what should we do???"

"Uh...I uh..." the silverette looked down to see his own hand trembling around his phone and found himself clutching the phone tighter to calm himself. He took a breath and with a sigh, turned the phone off and slipped it back into his pocket, much to Sora's surprise.

"Riku?" Sora tilted his head as he looked up at him questioningly.

"We're going to need time to come up with a plan. I don't know how much time we have, but something tells me we should do one more thing first. Do you think you're ready, Sora?" he turned to look directly into Sora's eyes as he took his hands in his own. "If there's any reason at all that you think we should wait, now's the time to say anything."

"Riku..." Sora blinked as Riku's eyes bore right through him, glad that the other male took his hands because he could feel his own trembling in the other's warm grip. "I don't..."

"What does your heart tell you?" Riku asked intently.

The brunette looked down and closed his eyes. Though he was afraid of what his heart might tell him, he forced those fears aside and listened. "I'm not scared to fight because I have you with me. But I am scared that of what may happen if we fail. What's at stake is a lot bigger than you or me. Heh..." he began to tremble harder as he looked up at Riku, eyes glistening with unshed tears, "It's funny...for once I just want to run away."

"Sora..."

"If he wants my heart so badly and maybe even yours, too, then we should just run away, right? Somewhere where they'll never find us. Right? Even if it means we can never go home again, I would do it if it meant everybody would be safe. But I know too that it wouldn't solve anything either," he shook his head. "Because if not us, he'll just find somebody else. Or if anything, he'll go after our friends and force our hand. We don't have a choice. My heart says we should go...with everyone. But there's somewhere I want to go first."

"Then that's where we'll go," Riku nodded firmly and wrapped his arms around Sora to hug him tightly. "I'll follow you anywhere, Sora, no matter what."

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

_In a darkened storage room, he watched her heart float away. A young boy with blue eyes appears in the doorway, his teeth grit in an expression of rage when he realizes what has transpired._

"It's always that same look," Xigbar growled at the memory as a hand attempted to grab at him from inside its barred prison. "Hey! I said knock it off!"

Though it was dark in the cell, he could already imagine those eyes glaring at him. "And stop looking at me like that!"


	47. Don't Get Me Wrong, I Love You

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sora has one more loose end he wants to tie up in San Fransokyo.

"Commencing full body scan. Please say Ah!"

The two keyblade heroes were back in Hiro's garage for one last body scan for Sora to make sure everything was alright. In the meantime, Riku was asking the rest of the team for some advice.

_"I want to go back to San Fransokyo for one last scan...and then...I want to spend the whole day with you."_

_"Sure, but we spend every day together, Sora."_

_"Yeah, but...I mean..."_

_"What is it?"_

_"Before we went to fight Xehanort we got to have a day of rest. And even back then, one of my biggest regrets was that I didn't get to spend part of that day with you in case it was our last. I'm not making that mistake twice."_

"So you'd recommend this hotel?" the silver-haired teen asked Fred while pointing to his phone where he was trying to make a booking. He had a feeling of what Sora was getting at when he said he wanted to spend a day together, in fact he was positive he meant a romantic evening. So he asked for help in picking out the best possible hotel room that they could afford with the money Leon gave them for Sora's birthday.

"Definitely, dude! Nicest digs in in town. But you're gonna need help booking it. You're required to have a credit card...and be at least 21," Fred pointed out.

"Whaaat??" Riku blinked. This was the first time he's ever run into such a thing.

"Don't worry, my man. I got you covered. Leave it to ol' Fred!"

"I have the munny right here if you need it right away," Riku offered.

"Cool! Let's get you hooked up! You're gonna love it. Plus, with my name, you'll get a good room."

Riku smiled nervously, "Can we stay in budget, though?"

"If you must!" Fred cackled as he took Riku's phone and started typing in the info.

"All done!" Sora cheered and waved Riku over so they could hear the results from Baymax. Riku thanked Fred and the others before hurrying over to grab Sora's hand as they awaited the news together.

"Analyzing...Analyzing. Analysis complete. Would you like to hear the results of your Scan?" the squishy white robot asked.

"Yes!" Sora nodded enthusiastically as he squeezed Riku's hand harder. Hiro and the others also looked on, practically beside themselves as they awaited the results with bated breath.

"The scan has shown you have significant Scarring on your Chest. Measures should be taken to ensure the Scarring doesn't re-open or get damaged as the Skin continues to heal."

Sora and Riku nodded at each other. They have continued the cure spells and potion regimen on a less intense basis and have noticed the scar tissue healing much better but it still has a ways to go. So upon hearing this, they were happy to hear that they've been doing the right thing.

"During your last scan, 23 Anomalies were detected. For this scan...ZERO Anomalies have been detected. Congratulations!" Baymax said with as much robotic enthusiasm as he could possibly portray complete with a giant smiley face on the screen projected on his chest.

"AHA!!" Sora gasped happily and turned to jump into Riku's arms who stumbled back slightly to catch him but squeezed him back just as hard while everybody else in the garage cheered and whooped and hollered. "We did it, Riku! We did it!" the brunette cried happily. While it was true they were keeping careful count and the news wasn't exactly a surprise, hearing final confirmation at long last made it feel official. They can finally put an end on this chapter of their lives and move on!

The others in the room couldn't contain themselves and hurried over to give them a massive group hug. Honey Lemon was absolutely beside herself with tears, "I'm so happy for you, Sora! We need to go out and celebrate!"

"TOTALLY!" Wasabi cheered.

"I'm thinking shopping trip!" Gogo grinned.

"AND FOOD!" Hiro cheered.

"FOOD!!" the entire group agreed.

"Haha! Sounds great! Can we, Riku?" Sora giggled.

"Why are you asking me?" Riku laughed as he set Sora down. "Obviously the answer is yes."

"YEAH!!" they all cheered!

Baymax continued the read out of Sora's results, but everybody found that compared to everything else, the fact that Sora still had a few minor bone weaknesses on their way to recovery and had slightly elevated blood pressure was irrelevant. Once the brunette was given an otherwise clean bill of health, Baymax asked, "Are you satisfied with your care?"

"Yes! I am satisfied with my care!" Sora gleefully responded and ran over to give the squishy robot a big hug. "Thank you, Baymax!"

After checking-in at the hotel that Fred booked for them so that they wouldn't have to worry about showing ID later that evening, the gang took Sora and Riku to the shopping district.

"If you're going on a date, you need better clothes than that," Gogo insisted.

"A date?" Sora chuckled. "I don't think we were planning for a--"

"You totally are," Gogo grinned knowingly. "If you're not, you're either stupid or crazy," she looked pointedly at Riku.

"Or incredibly naïve," Riku muttered under his breath as he caught the stare from Gogo.

Almost immediately, Gogo and Honey Lemon suggested a shop called Super Groupies and dragged the both of them inside. Gogo took Riku and Honey Lemon grabbed Sora and they went in opposite directions to take them through the clothes.

Gogo barely said a word as she yanked clothes off the racks and piled them into Riku's arms. The silver-haired teen could only follow helplessly as quickly went through the racks and expected him to keep up. "You don't even know my sizes!" he protested as she yanked a pair of black pants from the rack and added them to the pile.

"I have a pretty good guess," Gogo shrugged, even going as far as to shove a pair of black boots on top of the pile.

"Wait, those look like what I'm already wearing--"

"No, they don't."

Meanwhile, Sora was having a blast with Honey Lemon. "How about this hoody, Sora?"

"I love it!" Sora gasped happily and grabbed it.

"This would look so good on you!"

"You think so? Add it to the pile!" he chirped enthusiastically as he followed the bubbly sandy blonde with his slowly growing haul.

Eventually, the two met back up at the changing rooms. Sora waved to an excited Honey Lemon before he went behind the curtain and Riku was practically shoved.

Sora emerged first dressed in some baggy black basketball shorts, a red hoody with a black windbreaker jacket with a gray stripe on the sleeves and red cuffs over it, fresh white sneakers, and a blue statement wrist watch. "What do you think?" he asked as he checked himself out in front of the mirror.

"Looks comfortable," Gogo nodded approvingly.

"It's perfect!" Honey Lemon cheered. "It's so you!"

"You think so?" Sora blushed.

"Do you like it?" the blonde asked.

"I think I love it!" the brunette chuckled.

"Hey, Riku! Come on out, we don't have all day," Gogo coaxed.

"It's too much, I'm not coming out," Riku huffed from behind the curtain.

"Come on! Don't you want to see what your boyfriend picked out?" Gogo winked.

"Come on, Riku! I wanna see!" Sora pleaded.

"Fiiiiiiiiine," Riku sighed and pulled back the curtain to step out. The keyblade master was dressed in a gray hoody similar to Sora's with a black leather jacket with a thin yellow line accentuating each sleeve over top of it. On his left wrist he had a black statement watch also very similar to Sora's right next to the bracelet Sora made him. To pull it all together, he also wore black pants and black leather ankle-high lace-up boots.

"WHOA!" Sora gasped as he took in the sight of Riku.

"It's too much, isn't it?" Riku muttered.

"Shut up, it's perfect," Gogo scolded as she popped her gum.

"You look so good! I love it!" the brunette gawked.

"Well if you like it...then I guess I do, too," Riku stammered as a tiny blush rose to his cheeks. "You look great too, Sora."

"Hehe. Aw, thanks, Riku!" Sora giggled happily.

"I think you both look great!" Honey Lemon cheered. "So let's grab some food!"

The two realized the only downside to wearing normal pants was the lack of magical pockets, so they both bought bags to go with their outfits, a black leather tote for Riku and a black backpack with red straps for Sora which they now toted with them as they followed the girls to meet up with the other guys while sporting their new threads. The other guys complimented how the other two cleaned up and gave props to Gogo and Honey Lemon for their work. Riku and Sora also expressed their gratitude and offered to buy everybody lunch, of which everybody happily accepted.

The gang took them to their favorite Asian-themed restaurant where they stuffed themselves silly with pork buns and sushi. Afterwards, they insisted on giving them a segway tour of the city so they could check out the parks and the Torii bridge. It seemed a little silly to Riku for them to ride on these slow contraptions that were only barely faster than walking but it was still a good time. After which, the sun was starting to set and the Big Hero 6 gang decided to turn in.

"Thank you so much, Hiro," Sora smiled and gave the teen one last hug good-bye.

"Anytime, pal. I'm so glad you're feeling better. We're all so relieved," Hiro grinned as he returned the hug.

"By the way, your gift helped us out tremendously. So thank you again," Riku smiled gratefully as he shook Hiro's hand to say good-bye.

"No problem! I'm glad I could help. Where are you guys headed after this?"

"We think we may have found the bad guys' location, so we're going to regroup with our other friends and go from there, I think," Sora nodded.

"Well be careful. And don't be strangers. You're welcome to visit any time!"

"Right!" Sora smiled broadly while Riku gave Fred a fist bump to thank him for booking the hotel room for them.

After they all exchanged their good-byes, the pair departed to head back to one of the restaurants they noticed earlier to pick up some food to go. "I want to show you one of MY favorite spots," Sora explained with a mischievous smile.

With their dinners packed safely under their arms, Sora led them up the side of a skyscraper, much to Riku's surprise as he hoped their food wouldn't get too jostled during the trip. From there it only proceeded to get weirder as Sora pointed out what Riku thought were giant fish kites but were actually wind turbines PAINTED to look like fish kites. Without another word, Sora used flowmotion to hop over there and Riku hurried to keep up. And that's how they ended up having dinner on top of a giant fish turbine in the sky while watching the sun set.

They stayed there until the stars came out, holding each other close to withstand the cold as they took in the sight of the brilliantly lit city. Riku had an arm wrapped around Sora as the brunette leaned into him and both their left hands were clasped inside Sora's jacket pocket. The two enjoyed the view while the turbine gently vibrated beneath them and the wind lazily rushed through their hair.

"Riku..."

"Hm?"

"You asked me yesterday what my heart was telling me. What about yours?"

"Heh, lately it's been telling me to follow yours," Riku admitted with a soft chuckle.

"Ha, you're kidding, right?" Sora laughed.

"It's true!" the silverette insisted as he pressed a kiss to the top of Sora's head and gazed at him fondly.

"You're not getting out of it that easily," Sora chuckled as he tilted his head up to look at him properly. "Spill."

"You sure?" Riku playfully asked as he kissed the tip of Sora's nose, which earned a giggle from the smaller teen but he still kept looking at him expectantly. "You really want to know?"

"Yes," Sora murmured. "Please?"

With a sigh, Riku pressed his forehead to Sora's and closed his eyes as he listened to his heart intently so he that he may give Sora the most honest answer he could. "It's telling me...not to worry. It'll be hard, but everything will be alright. And I believe that."

"Yeah?" the brunette sighed with relief as he reached up to cup Riku's cheek. "I do too."

The two closed the small gap between them to engage in a soft kiss. But just as their lips touched they heard the rolling of thunder overhead, followed soon after by fat rain drops landing in their hair.

"Greeeat," Riku glanced up at the sky as they started to get pelted with rain. "Guess we should start heading back?"

"Haha, yeah, I guess," Sora chuckled.

By the time they got back to the hotel they were dripping wet and soaked through to the bone. Neither were very pleased about this, both having forgotten that their new clothes wouldn't repel water as well as their usual duds, so they agreed to agreed to hop into the bath while they dripped in the elevator. As they sloshed their way through the hallway to look for their room, Riku wondered what it would look like. Since it was a last-minute booking the room wasn't exactly ready for them when they checked in, so neither of them had actually seen it yet. Since this was technically part of Sora's birthday present, Riku let Sora use his card key to open the door first.

The teen bounced excitedly as he shoved the card in, only to pout when he couldn't get it to work right away. "Oh, come on! The suspense is killing me!"

"Turn it around, you doof," Riku chuckled. "What would the others say if they could see this? The key bearer who can't work a key!"

"Shut up!" Sora pouted just as the door beeped and let them in.

Upon entering, Sora immediately dropped his backpack AND his jaw. Riku's eyes widened and he immediately knew that Fred blew way past the budget he had gave him.

It wasn't just a room, it was an entire suite with a panoramic view from every window! There was a small kitchen area with a living space with a gigantic TV, a luxurious bedroom with a floor to ceiling corner windows and king-size bed with yet another gigantic TV, and to top it off, one of the biggest bathrooms either of them had ever seen with black marble floors and matching full-enclosed glass shower with a gigantic infinity jacuzzi bathtub with its own view.

"Woooow!" the smaller teen gasped as he ran in and spun slowly to take the whole place in and noticed a plethora of sweets on a console table. "How long do we get this place for?"

"We're here for two nights. You said you wanted a whole day with just the two of us, right?" Riku asked as he peeled his jacket off and hung it up.

Sora found himself blushing as he took his own jacket off. "That's right, I did," he glanced away shyly as he hung it up next to Riku's jacket.

After exploring all the rooms, they both decided a long hot bath was in order. "Wait, the bathtub's in front of the window?" Sora blinked as he peeled off his soaked hoody.

"I'm pretty sure everything has one way glass up here so no window washers or rogue keyblade wielders can peek in on you," Riku chortled.

Sora snorted, "I wonder how many people have seen my feet from their windows by now?"

"Think of the poor window washers who have had to wipe your scuffs off of the side of the buildings," the elder teen pointed out while he stripped the rest of his clothing off and started the bath. He was concerned that it would take forever to fill but it had three faucets so he put every one on full blast while he tossed on one of the provided bathrobes and threw another one at Sora. "Hurry up before you catch cold."

"You sure you just don't want to see me naked faster?" the brunette teased but did as he was told and the two of them hung their clothes to dry over the shower stall. "Oooh, these robes are fluffy~"

Riku snuck up behind him as he hung his clothes up and wrapped his arms around the teen's waist to plant soft kisses on his neck, "Again, do I ever really need a good excuse for that?"

Sora gasped and leaned back into the taller teen's strong embrace as he continued to gentle suck at the sensitive skin on the juncture of his neck, "N-no, I guess not..."

"Thought so," the silver-haired teen grinned and gave him one last kiss on the cheek before pulling away and slapping Sora on the ass. "Bath's full, let's go."

"YEEP!" Sora squeaked at the playful slap and whipped around to tackle Riku into the bath!

"SORA!!" Riku shouted as the both tumbled in, thankfully not splashing too much everywhere but now the robes were SOPPING wet.

"That's what you get!" Sora giggled just as Riku peeled off his bathrobe and tossed it as his face. "HEY!"

"You're so reckless, Sora!" Riku growled as he turned off the water.

"Then you shouldn't be grabbing me like that!" the brunette retorted, sticking his tongue out as he yanked off his own robe and set it aside.

The elder teen rolled his eyes, "Oh you're right, what could I have possibly been thinking? Maybe I should get out of the tub."

"Wait, I'm sorry!" Sora whined and hurried over to wrap his arms around Riku before he could make his way out of the tub. "I was just playing! I'm sorry!"

The other groaned and simply patted Sora on the head as he sunk back into the tub and cuddled the other. "You're too easy," he grinned into his wet hair.

"Oh, I'M the easy one?" the brunette snickered.

"Shush," Riku huffed as he tilted Sora's chin up to capture his lips with his own.

Once the two have settled down and felt warmed up, Sora put his arms over the edge of the tub to check out the skyline through the window, "It really is a nice view."

"Yeah, it is," Riku hummed though he wasn't really checking out the view as much as he was enjoying watching Sora enjoy himself as he idly traced lines connected the scars on the brunette's back with his fingertips. He couldn't help smiling as he watched the other quiver from his delicate touches while trying to pretend it wasn't affecting him while he continued gazing at the stars.

"Riku?"

"Hm?"

"I've been thinking..."

"A dangerous past time."

"I know."

Both of them chuckled before Riku wrapped his arms around Sora and pulled the smaller teen into his lap. "What's on your mind?"

The brunette sighed happily as he melted into the other's warm embrace and idly ran a finger over Riku's defined bicep while he struggled to put his thoughts into words. "Just been thinking a lot lately about us," he began.

Riku did a long blink and felt himself unconsciously tightening his grip around Sora, "Go on."

"Just that...I think I'm ready...you know..." he trailed off.

There was an impossibly long silence, or at least that's how it felt to Riku as it felt like time and his heart had stopped when he realized what Sora was referring to. He could feel the heat rising in his face and suddenly the bath felt way too hot. Did he really mean that? He tried to calm down with a long breath to compose himself. After all, this IS Sora. He should clarify to be sure before he got too worked up. "Do you mean...what I think you mean?"

"Well what do you think I mean?" Sora pulled away to look up at him with wide eyes, wondering if Riku really meant for him to spell it out.

"What do YOU think I mean when I ask you what you mean?"

"What?"

"What?"

"RIKU!"

"SORA!"

"I'm being serious!" Sora flailed in his lap!

"I know you are! You just caught me off guard!" Riku stammered as the teen squirmed impatiently in his lap. Okay, so this wasn't a drill. Wait, what does this mean? He felt himself getting more and more flustered and he was more than positive that his face was a bold shade of magenta by now.

"Wait...do you not...?" the other asked worriedly while his own face began to turn beet red.

"I didn't say that!" Riku quickly corrected as he reached to grab both of Sora's hands in his. "I'm happy, I really am. But I didn't think we were there yet, if I'm being completely honest."

Sora bit his lip as he felt himself getting more embarrassed by the second. "H-how much further do we have to go?"

"Oh...Sora..." the elder teen smiled softly and kissed the worried brunette on the forehead. "You're not saying this because of the fight we have coming up, are you?"

"N-no. At least I don't think so," the brunette began to tremble as the realization of his timing hit him and he leaned forward to rest his ear against Riku's pounding heart. He could hear both their hearts beating so fast. "I really have been thinking about it...I do really want to...but only when we're both ready. I guess I just wanted you to know that if you wanted to, I'm ready whenever," he clarified.

Riku breathed a huge sigh of relief as he brushed his fingers through Sora's hair, "Make no mistake: when the time is right, I'd be so happy to experience that with you. I love you so much. I was just worried."

"No, I understand," Sora chuckled sheepishly as he squeezed Riku tightly. "Maybe I was a little afraid that if I don't say it now that I might not get another chance...just a little. But you're right, otherwise it'd be just like last time...at the paopu tree."

Riku smiled and gently pulled away, "Now that's not to say we can't do other things while we're here."

"Oh?" the brunette giggled. "Like what?"

"You'll see," the other snickered.

\- . - . - . - . -

"Cut it out, you stupid pile of rocks!" Xigbar shouted as he knocked back a hand that grabbed for him yet again from the bars after he attempted to check on the prisoner that occupied the darkness within. Though it quickly retreated, swatting at the creature left a small cut in his glove that actually broke the sniper's skin. "Shit," he hissed as he took his glove off and sucked on the wound while strangled cries rang from inside the dark cell. "Shut up!"

"Hey, dude. Chill out!" Demyx scolded. "We were totally vibing until you started coming in here with all your negativity." The blonde musician sighed as he tilted his chair back to lean against the wall.

"You mean to say it only acts like this around me?" Xigbar spat.

"No, he's pretty grouchy," the man snickered. "But he gets considerably less grouchy when I play that song you asked for. So I've been practicing the arrangement in here."

"So it really does work?" the rat-tailed man grinned. "Well let's hear it then."

"Oh, so you want a preview? Alright then! And a one, and a two, and a one, two, three, four..."


	48. When We Are Older, You'll Understand

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> As the storm gets worse and the thunder rolls overhead, Sora and Riku keep each other occupied.

As the thunder rolled outside and the lightning flashed through the windows, soft moans could be heard in the bedroom as the teens made out by the glow of candle light. What had started as a heavy summer shower evolved into quite the storm that had knocked out the power so the two gathered all of the scented candles they could find arranged throughout the suite and lit them in the bedroom. The plan was to make a blanket fort but those thoughts were soon shoved aside when instead of bothering to put on pajamas they began exploring each other instead.

Together bundled under the giant featherdown duvet, the two held each other close, enjoying the sounds of the storm and the sight of the city skyline behind the mosaic of raindrops on the windows between heated kisses. Whenever they locked lips, it was as if the rest of the world turned off and when they parted, everything turned back on; The thunder sounded louder and the candles flickered brighter.

As Riku drank in every moan and every mewl that Sora made he craved more. The heat growing between them was almost stifling underneath the cocoon of the blanket wrapped around them but he didn't care. As he recalled Sora's confession only mere minutes ago in the tub, he gripped the smaller teen even tighter, experimentally dragging the barest tips of his fingernails down his back which caused the other to cry out and shudder against him. "Gods, Sora..." he moaned breathily into his ear before tilting the teen onto his back to hover his body over his and start kissing at his neck.

"Riku..." the brunette gasped as he rolled his hips against the larger male's, already extremely worked up and needy. "Riku!"

"Shh-sh-sh...it's okay," he soothed as he pulled back to give Sora a second to calm down. He could feel Sora's heated arousal already leaping against his own and he worried about the other losing it too quickly. "Just breathe, I got you."

"It's so much, so much..." Sora whimpered as he clutched at Riku's shoulders. He wanted Riku so badly it almost hurt! He tried to breathe through his nose like Riku asked but it was so hard to bring himself back down to earth and it didn't help that Riku was softly running his hands through his hair and tickling his ear with his gentle whispers. 

"You're so sensitive," Riku chuckled as he kneaded at Sora's soft scalp while he waited for the other to calm.

"Oh look who's talking," he pouted but Riku continued to chuckle. "Don't make fun of me!"

"I'm not, baby, I promise," the silverette assured him as he nuzzled his cheek against Sora's.

Sora's face flushed even harder. The way Riku said it made him feel so precious it was almost too much for him to take. He wanted to turn away and hide his face but he couldn't tear his eyes away from Riku's soft gaze. The way they glimmered in the candle light and looked at him with a half-lidded stare was so intense but also so loving it almost brought tears to his own eyes. "I love you," he whispered.

_Those eyes..._ Riku groaned and buried his face into Sora's neck. He could die right now and be happy. "I love you, too. You know I do," he murmured.

"Yes..." Sora whispered as he shuddered at the feeling of Riku's hot breath on his neck.

Even though Sora said yes, Riku felt compelled to show him even more, starting off by nibbling and kissing down his neck. As he moved lower, he realized he had never kissed Sora any lower than this in reality. But as his lips reached scar tissue, he didn't stop, only pressed with a little more care in case Sora didn't like it. He moved slowly, kissing softly, paying attention to every hitch of breath and every noise the brunette made before moving on. The terrain of Sora's chest was unfamiliar against his lips but he didn't stop unless the brunette gave him a negative reaction and judging by how much Sora's thighs were squeezing his hips, he must be doing something right. When he finally reached his right nipple, he couldn't help grinning as Sora gasped and arched into his mouth. Sensitive, indeed.

"A-a-aah!" the brunette cried out as he felt teeth graze his already hardening nipple and immediately his hands flew into Riku's soft hair as his skin tingled with electricity. His heart leaped and for a second he also felt a flutter, like he could feel Riku smiling and it almost irritated him, like he was being teased on purpose. "_Rikuuuuuu..._"

Riku snickered, having clearly been caught, "'m sorry. You're just so cute."

"Staaaaawp," Sora felt light-headed from blushing so much.

"Only when you ask nicely," the teen growled playfully before proceeding to suckle, softly at first but then harder as he tried to gage Sora's reactions.

All half-hearted noises of protest from the brunette were replaced by soft, breathy moans, "Mmm...mm...mmmmhh..." His fingers further entangling themselves in Riku's hair as his hips began to writhe beneath Riku, his lower extremities begging for attention as his needy erection dripped onto his own stomach.

The other teen only released Sora briefly to give the other nipple the same treatment. By then Sora's whimpering had become much more audible and Riku was already forced to use his hands to gently but firmly keep his bouncing hips pressed into the mattress. Finally responding to the urgency in the brunette's mewls, he released the captive nub with a soft pop before kissing his way down the soft ridges of his abdomen, tasting the tiny beads of perspiration that have gathered there while inhaling his sweet scent laced with the slight musk of his arousal. The scented candles in the room had NOTHING on Sora and he found himself quickly becoming intoxicated as he moved at a quicker pace to scooch himself further down the bed so he could rest himself on Sora's thighs while he nuzzled the soft hair below his navel. He could barely hold back his own moans as his own throbbing erection gently grazed along Sora's warm legs when he moved down his body. Once his upper body was properly nestled between Sora's thighs, he gently gripped the wet tip of Sora's weeping manhood with his thumb and forefinger and began moving them up and down, "Are you ready?"

"Y-yes! Please!" the brunette practically sobbed as his hands flew from Riku's hair to grasp at the sheets instead while he threw his head back into the soft pillows. "Please!" he hissed again.

Riku chuckled, supposing that Sora had been patient enough, he dragged his tongue up the underside of the slick shaft before wrapping his lips around the tip and very gently teasing the slit with the tip of his tongue. He didn't want to start off too intensely but even just that gesture caused Sora to cry out and he could taste a spit of pre as it struck his tongue. He hummed around Sora's arousal as it twitched in his mouth, remembering fondly how he pleasured Sora back in Thebes beneath the stars and how he's been eager to do it again ever since. Just remembering that night on a whim was often enough to get him half hard as he recalled Sora sprawled out on the grass beneath the stars, helpless beneath him surrounded by fabric with flowers in his hair. Now looking up at Sora, he's found he's just as breathless as he was that night. The brunette looked so beautiful in the candlelight, his sun-kissed body sprawled out on the perfectly white sheets and half-sunken in soft pillows, gripping the bed tightly while he watched Riku with a half-lidded, lust-filled stare. His were eyes so needy but shining with curiosity when they weren't also screwing shut with each spasm of pleasure that wracked his body while his mouth was held agape. Gods, Sora was _everything_.

When they locked eyes, Riku caught sight of Sora's chest sharply rising in a silent gasp and found himself unable to hold back his own eagerness as he took more of his hot length into his mouth. It slid past his lips easily as he dragged his tongue along every inch of him. Once again, he reveled in how perfectly Sora fit in his mouth. The teen wasn't small by any means, he was just...perfect, just like the rest of him. Riku loved how easily he could slide Sora down his throat and enjoyed feeling him throb in his mouth as he hummed around his length while his hands kept hips from bucking up while Sora keened with pleasure. He knew the other wouldn't be able to last much longer so he quickly began bobbing his head and did his best to breathe through his nose while listening to Sora's rhythmic, breathy cries.

"Aah-ah-ah...ah...R-Riku! Riku...I'm so close!" the brunette did his best to warn him while wrenching his head really far back with a strained moan when suddenly his orgasm hit him like a pile of bricks that had him seeing stars while liquid hot ecstasy coursed through his veins. "Aaahhh!"

The silverette didn't expect Sora to last long. In fact, he was surprised he's lasted as long as he had considering what happened yesterday. So he was more than ready to swallow what Sora had released. However, he wasn't prepared for the volume and found himself reaching for the towel as he sputtered slightly on some of the excess. It felt like a hot flood that just kept going. Even after he pulled his mouth off and Sora had stilled, panting hard as he caught his breath, his length kept spurting as it laid on his stomach. "Jeez, Sora..." Riku exclaimed breathily in a mixture of praise and astonishment while he wiped his mouth and wiped Sora down.

"Riku..." the brunette panted and made grabbing motions for Riku who he clung to as tightly as his noodle arms would allow while he caught his breath. He almost felt embarrassed as he buried his face in the elder teen's neck. "Riku...that was...you were amazing."

The keyblade master could only blush as he kissed the top of Sora's head affectionately while he felt the brunette's heavy breathing into his neck gradually subside. "I'm glad," he chuckled as he brushed his fingers through his soft brown hair. "That was a good one."

"Hnnn..." NOW the teen was officially embarrassed, making a whining noise into Riku's chest while he squeezed him tightly. Eventually Riku soothed him by rubbing tiny circles into his back and he finally lifted his head to look at him properly. He could feel the other's heavy arousal resting against his hip and he was desperate to return the favor as well as sate his overwhelming curiosity. "Riku...can I touch you?"

"Mm-hmm," Riku hummed while he buried his face shyly into Sora's hair and shifted his hips so that Sora could fit a hand between them, his breath hitching as he felt the other's shy hand wrap around his length.

Riku felt hot and heavy in Sora's hand as he gently fumbled and felt him up. He felt so awkward but the silverette made no move to stop him or any noise of protest. But this didn't feel like enough so he stilled his hand and looked up at Riku, face still flushed with shyness, "C-can I see?" he asked in a voice barely above a whisper.

It took Riku a second to even comprehend the question as he made eye contact with Sora, raising his eyebrow in for clarification only to be answered with a downward glance from the smaller teen. After which he nodded in understanding, assuming Sora meant he wanted a better view so he pulled himself apart and moved to an upright position. What he didn't expect, however, was for Sora to deftly slide himself up so _he_ was also sitting up against the pillows and padded headboard, resulting in Riku straddling Sora's lap with his knees on either side of his thighs and pressed into the mattress. He didn't dare rest his weight on Sora's thighs, but the brunette gently grasped his hips and guided him down so that Riku wouldn't have to kneel uncomfortably. Once he felt himself rest on those warm legs, Riku realized how open and vulnerable he felt in this position. He didn't dislike it, but it felt a little strange and Sora's face was level with his chest. "Is this okay?" he asked.

"Yessss," Sora sighed happily as he pressed kisses to the immaculately sculpted chest presented to him. "Are you comfortable?"

"I think so," Riku felt his cheeks reddening as he watched Sora kiss him, deciding this view wasn't so bad after all.

Now that he has a chance to look properly, Sora looked down at his boyfriend's heavy arousal resting between them and couldn't hold back a gasp of astonishment. "Riku! You're huge!"

The keyblade master suddenly choked on the air he was breathing, completely taken by surprise. "N-no I'm not!" he insisted as he tried to keep as straight a face as possible while combatting the worsening redness in his cheeks. "It's just because I'm older than you."

"Aw, Riku..."

"Stop making it weird."

"I'm not making it weird. That was really sweet of you to say."

"You act as if you think you're small or something," Riku eyed him suspiciously.

"A-aren't I?" Sora asked, now looking to the side.

"Of course not," Riku sighed and gently guided Sora's chin with an index finger to force him to look up at him. "I think you're perfect."

"Riku..."

The elder teen pressed their lips together briefly to get them back on track. Once they parted, Sora's hands were back on his member, experimentally touching while he resumed kissing and nibbling at Riku's chest, earning low moans from the teen as he found himself gently writhing from his shy touches. He really was at Sora's mercy in this position, his own hands resting on the dips of Sora's hips while he let the younger teen explore at his own pace.

"What do you like?" Sora asked tentatively as he stroked the underside of Riku's length with his thumb. Just having Riku writhe in his lap had brought Sora to full hardness again. "There's so much I want to do."

Riku chuckled and kissed his forehead. "Take it easy, we have all night and all day tomorrow. I'm not going anywhere," he whispered consolingly.

"I want to know what you like. I want to know your body like you know mine," Sora whispered back sincerely.

"If that's what you want, I'm yours."

"But do you want that?"

"More than anything. I want us to explore together."

"Then I'm yours too."

"I know," Riku responded in a voice so quiet that Sora couldn't tell if he actually said it or if he was just reading Riku's lips. Together the two shared a long heated kiss before Sora pulled away and straightened as tall as he could to kiss and nibble at the taller teen's neck, which Riku allowed by tilting his head back so he could have full access. Everywhere those lips dragged tingled and every breath left behind on cooled saliva made him curl his toes. His nibbles were quick and erratic, but so endearing while hands slid up his abdomen to reach his chest to which he responded by wrapping his arms around the brunette's upper body to encourage him.

Sora remembered how much he loved it when Riku played with his chest in his dreams and wondered if the other enjoyed the same. Shyly he ran his hands over his sculpted pecs, feeling them tighten under his exploring fingers and Riku's heartbeat quickened. He took that as a good sign and curiously kissed his right nipple, eyes widening as he felt it instantly harden underneath his lips and heard Riku sharply inhale through his nose above him. When he gave it a tiny lick, he felt Riku give a little jump and couldn't help grinning, keeping his head tilted just low enough so the teen couldn't see. However, when he took the whole sensitive nub into his mouth, he looked up directly at him, locking eyes to gage his reaction as he began softly sucking on it.

Riku's jaw dropped slightly as those mischievous eyes clouded with quiet lust locked with his. He felt his arousal leap between them and gasped when Sora noticed and wrapped one hand around it while using his other free hand to tease his left nipple. "S-Sora!" he moaned softly, tempted to tell the other to move on but he recalled how he called out Sora for being too sensitive and decided to endure. But then Sora moaned into his pec, eyes fluttering closed and Riku thought he was going to lose it as he listened to the sounds of him softly suckling. It was so cute and so incredibly arousing that it stirred some intensely hot feelings in his middle that caused him to snake his fingers through Sora's hair and clutch him tighter, cradling his head with one hand to encourage him to keep going while his other hand trailed down his lower back to rub random patterns into the dip of his spine.

Sora loved that Riku was letting him do this and loved what he was doing. He could feel Riku's reactions through the throbbing member in his hand and he was so turned on by the breathy moans the silverette kept making every few seconds. Curious about his current expression, he glanced up and his face reddened when he realized Riku was watching him very intently with a lusty half-lidded stare that made his own length leap to full attention. When Riku gripped him tighter, he found himself moaning and hurried to give the other nipple the same attention before he risked overdoing the right one. The second he wrapped his lips around it, Riku's hips bucked into his other hand and his muscular thighs gripped him tighter. "Mm...mm...mm...mm..."

"A-a-ah!" Riku gasped brokenly and hurried to grip himself at the base. He was so close, but he wanted Sora to have a chance to do what he wanted. "S-Sora...I need..."

Sora popped his mouth off of Riku, a tiny string of saliva connecting his lips and his pec as he looked up. "Yes?"

"Fuck..." Riku hissed at the sight before smashing their lips together, one hand still tightly gripping his head while his other hand grabbed Sora's and wordlessly showed him what to do while he kissed him desperately. Thankfully, Sora got the hang of it really quickly and Riku left him to it while he grabbed Sora's newly hardened length and returned the favor. As he pumped the teen, he could feel Sora imitating his movements and gave a very pleased moan into the other's mouth.

Sora was over the moon as he felt Riku become completely undone in his lap. He felt so loved, so NEEDED as Riku practically crushed him against his own body, silently (or not so silently now) pleading to be finished off. Before he knew it, the elder teen was bucking into him, and eventually both gave up, releasing each other just to grip the other tightly to grind out their release, their movements eased by how slick they both already were. Riku came first as he ground himself so hard and fast into Sora he had to grab the headboard to stabilize himself and Sora fell apart two seconds later, completely obliterated as he felt Riku's hot release spurt all over his stomach and chest and returned it in kind, though a little louder than Riku had. But even after he thought they were done, Riku apparently wasn't as he grabbed Sora by the shoulders and pulled him sideways to pin him down on the bed in one swift movement. Confused, Sora allowed himself to be moved as he unceremoniously flopped onto his side. Boneless and breathless, he could only watch in utter confusion as Riku moved and shoved himself between Sora's closed thighs, his hands bracing on the smaller teen's knees to keep them tightly closed while using his other hand to brace himself while he finished himself off by humping the small gap there. "R-Riku!" the smaller teen gasped almost helplessly as his body shook up and down the sheets while Riku growled out the rest of his orgasm, the erotic sounds of his thighs slapping against Sora's backside echoing quietly off the walls of the large bedroom almost competing with the soft sounds of thunder rolling in the distance.

Finally, at long last, Sora felt the tell-tale spurt of Riku's pleasure erupt all over his thighs and abdomen and Riku fell slack on top of him, groaning quietly as he softened and only barely managed to pull away just so he could regather the limp teen and hold him in his arms to spoon him properly with their heads resting against the pillows, despite both of them being very sticky at this point.

"Riku...that was..."

"You were magnificent, Sora," Riku interrupted while kissing the back of Sora's neck.

"Did you just...? Twice?"

"Mm-hmm..." Riku moaned quietly as he nuzzled the scar on the back of Sora's neck with his nose, still lost in his own intense afterglow.

Sora could only giggle as Riku's nose tickled the back of his neck and reached for the towel nearby before carefully peeling away from Riku who was so limp at this point he couldn't even stop him, though he did whine in protest. "Come on, let me clean you up," Sora laughed.

"Not necessary," Riku huffed. "As soon as I get my energy back, I'm...I'm..."

"Yes?" Sora bit his lower lip to keep from laughing. Riku was clearly about to pass out. He could already see his eyes starting to close.

"Nnnh...shower...with you," he finished. "In a minute..." he whispered, finally allowing his eyes to close before drifting off to sleep.

"Uh-huh," the brunette chuckled quietly and finished the job as gently as possible so as not to disturb Riku before cleaning himself off and dropping the towel on the floor. Looking around, he realized it was probably a bad idea to leave all the candles lit so he dragged himself out of the bed to blow out every single one. Somewhere on the floor he found the duvet that they were cuddled under before and threw it back over them once he got back into the bed, kissing Riku's cheek good night before burrowing into his side. "Good night, Riku."


	49. What I Meant, When I Said No

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's 3 am, what could possibly have woken both teens up?

Clouds above and water below. Sora immediately knew where he was. He looks cautiously around, testing the ground to make sure it wasn't going to swallow him up again before calling out, "Hey! Chirithy!"

Cute little noises fill the air as a little ball of light flew through the sky and landed at Sora's feet. From which, emerged an adorable gray and black-striped cat-looking creature wearing a cape and carrying a little pink pouch. "You came back!" it exclaimed happily.

"I promised I would visit, didn't I?" Sora chuckled and kneeled down to greet his fuzzy friend.

"Yeah, but I didn't think you would remember."

"I was here once before, but I couldn't find you!" he explained.

"Honestly, I was sort of hoping that you wouldn't come back. I was afraid of what might happen to you if you risked coming here again."

The brunette tilted his head, wondering if Chirithy might have known about the nightmare he had the last time he wandered into this place. "You...were worried about me?"

"Well of course. You said we're friends, right?"

"Yeah!" he chuckled.

"Hm. So what's up? How are things?" Chirithy bounced, its tiny blue stitched eyes scrunching up as it smiled.

"Well, something really important is happening in two days. I'm glad I got a chance to see you because I've been thinking about you and this place a lot."

"You have?" Chirithy raised a paw to its muzzle as it tilted its head questioningly.

"Yes. I want you to come back with me," he nodded.

"Whaaaaaaaaaaaaat???" the little creature jumped, slightly taken aback.

"Take it from me, it's not enough to wait for somebody you care about. It's true that hearts are connected wherever you are. If it's impossible to be together, then all you can do is wait. But, if it is possible to be together, then that's how it should be." He smiled and looked around, "You know, this really is a beautiful place, but you'd enjoy it so much more with somebody you care about. Before, when I was looking around with Kairi, I remembered how important it is to share moments with friends. That's why you're coming with me. I'm taking you to see your friend, Chirithy."

The declaration moved Chirithy to tears and it wept openly, desperately wiping at its eyes before finally smiling up at Sora, nodding to accept his offer.

"Okay, let's go!" Sora grinned and offered out his hand.

In the Land of Departure, Ven, Aqua, and Terra were gathered at sunrise to visit Master Eraqus's memorial to pray for him to watch over them. They're just about to leave for Master Yen Sid's place for their final meeting to plan for their battle against the Master of Masters. Once they finished, Terra and Aqua walked away first and Sora hurried to shove Chirithy out into the open from their hiding place behind a stone wall. Safely out of view, Sora watched Chirithy reunite with Ven before disappearing.

Riku's asleep but he can't feel Sora nearby. It feels strange. Their connection is still open and he feels Sora on the other side of it, but he's not nearby like he should be, as if he's not even on the same plane as him. He wondered if he should wake up to check on him, but something else catches his attention. He's already having his own dream.

He's back home at their play island. It's the middle of the night and the sky is filled with stars. Everything's pretty much the same, but the sands are glittering white and there are more thalassa shells than he's ever seen scattered all over the beach. The colorful shooting-star shaped shells caught the moonlight and reflected their colors all over the shimmering sand. It wasn't just the beach, either, everything from the leaves on the trees to the flowers in the bushes had a special kind of dreamy sparkle to them. But what sparkled most of all was perched on the slanted papou tree. Riku quickly made his way up there to see a vision of Sora waiting for him while staring up at the sky with a wistful expression. It was just like before; the Sora in his dreams resembles tiny stars forming an outline of Sora, like a walking constellation with twinkling glass-like features that reflected the very same bluish colors from the night sky above them. Very rarely does he ever take a completely filled-in form (from what he remembers), but he doesn't mind. Any Sora is still Sora, even if he resembles a mere outline of him. Starlight Sora notices Riku approaching and smiles at him, carefully hopping down from the tree to walk over to him.

"Sora?"

The starry teen smiles up at him happily and reaches up to cup Riku's cheek and Riku puts his own hand over his, closing his eyes contently while nuzzles into his warm palm. When he opens his eyes again, he sees the other smiling up him almost sadly. "What is it?"

The figure shakes his head as if to say don't worry about it before taking both of Riku's hands and leading him along the beach to casually walk along the water's edge, playfully kicking up the surf as he went. He doesn't talk, but Riku's enjoying seeing him so happy. Even so, there's this bittersweet feeling in the air that he can't quite shake off. "You've been with me for a while, haven't you?" he asked the dream figment who stops and tilts his head with a small questioning smile.

"When I couldn't be with Sora, you were here. But now...why do I still see you?"

Offended, Starlight Sora puffs his cheeks out in a pout and crosses his arms to turn away from him.

"Wait! It's not that I'm not happy about it. That's not what I meant!" Riku quickly corrected, though trying not to sound too frantic as he did so.

The other turns back around and seems to sigh, rolling his eyes before pointing to Riku's head with his index finger, tapping it twice before putting both his palms over Riku's heart, grinning up at him as if the answer were the most obvious thing in the world.

"Heh...I think I get it," Riku smiled softly, placing his hands over both of Sora's and lifting them to his lips to kiss his fingertips. "Thank you."

This seems to please the teen very much as he looks up at Riku with a fond, starry-eyed gaze before leaning forward to rest his head on the teen's chest as if to listen to his heart. Relieved that he didn't upset the star sprite, Riku wraps his arms around him to hold him close. "I feel like you're trying to tell me something."

The starlit teen just shook his head and pulled away. Suddenly the air was filled with the soft sounds of a classical guitar playing the song of their hearts and Sora extends a hand to invite him to dance. "Ha, how can I say no?" Riku chuckled before reaching out and accepting the offered hand. Together they danced lazily under the moonlight while the song continues to play. They eventually ended up with Sora's arms draped over Riku's shoulders while resting his head against his chest while Riku held his hips and rested his own head on top of Sora's hair.

Suddenly Riku felt his back hit sand. It happened so quickly and he landed so softly he hadn't even realized he had been shoved at all. As he stared up at the moon, Sora came back into view, body hovering over his as crystal-like eyes drank him in and left him breathlessly flushed.

Riku remembers where the need for this developed from. He had to deal with so much on his own while Sora slept. While his body changed, he yearned for the one who mattered most. Night after night he'd wake up to find himself wet beneath his black robe and he'd know why. Even at long last when Sora was awake, the brunette was never alone. He could never get close and he ached for him so much. Dreams were the only way he could ever even pretend to touch him.

But in dreams, sand doesn't stick to your body. In dreams, clothes aren't a hindrance. In dreams, everything progresses quickly and fingers slide in too easily. There is no awkward fumbling. There aren't any shy giggles or questions or long pauses; all the things that he now gets to enjoy while awake.

There isn't any discomfort when his flexibility is tested as knees are pressed into his chest. In dreams, preparation wasn't necessary and sometimes it felt too fast. But when Sora presses close and Riku opens his eyes to see his warm, beautiful smile and those sparkling, half-lidded eyes he felt love and it was more than enough. As Sora fills him and rocks his body, he holds on tight and rides out the pleasurable waves of heat and electricity that lap at his entire being, gasping loudly as the boy of his dreams manages to strike the right spot perfectly each time. When it's over, warm hands cup his face as he struggles to catch his breath. His eyes flutter closed as soft lips press to his.

When he opens his eyes again, he's in bed alone.

The realization was slow to hit him as he blinked through the darkness and felt through the very large bed, wondering if Sora somehow just managed to roll away. The bed still felt warm, but sure enough he was the only occupant. He fumbled for his gummi phone on the night stand, wincing as the light from the screen hit his eyes. It's three in the morning. Groaning, he set the phone back down and sat up. Only then did he actually hear the sounds of running water coming from the bathroom as it was barely distinguishable from the sounds of the rain that continued to pour outside. It sounded like it was coming from the shower. The silver-haired teen smirked as he rubbed the sleep from his eyes. "Sneaky little..." 

After untangling himself from the comforter, he rolled off the gigantic bed and padded over to the bathroom, quietly opening the door to see Sora standing under the waterfall shower head through the glass door, his shoulders and back getting drenched while he had his forehead pressed against the brown granite tile on the shower wall. From where he was standing, Riku couldn't tell if he was deep in thought or had just fallen asleep that way so he decided to have a little fun and see how far he could sneak up on him before the brunette noticed his presence.

He cautiously approached the shower door and wrapped his hand around the glass handle, realizing Sora must hot have been in the shower for very long because it still felt cold in his grip and the glass hadn't even had a chance to fog yet. When the brunette still hadn't even moved, he dared to slide it open, amazed at how smoothly the tracks ran and feeling bolder when they didn't even make the tiniest squeak. He only dared to slide it open wide enough to slip his body through and even when he slid it closed behind him, Sora remained completely unaware. Though that could be because the sounds of falling water was definitely much louder inside the glass and granite shower than it sounded from the outside, giving him the perfect cover when he finally reached the teen and slipped his arms around him. "Caught you!"

"AH!" Sora jumped in the other's grip and quickly turned around to face him. "Riku!"

"Did you forget about me?" Riku teased as he kissed the tip of his nose. "I see how it is."

"No, I just..." Sora stammered as he was pulled close against the other's body. "Did I wake you?"

"No," Riku assured him as he bent his head down to kiss at Sora's neck. "I guess I just missed you, that's all. What about you? Did something wake you?"

The brunette cooed softly as warm lips trailed down his neck, his skin burning much hotter wherever Riku touched than wherever the water hit. "No, I just..." he trailed off as he wrapped his arms around Riku's waist, only for his thoughts to get interrupted as he realized something hard was pressing into his navel. "Oh, hello," he glanced down.

"Hm?" Riku glanced down too. "Just ignore it. It'll go away."

"Heh, you sure about that?"

"You can convince it to stay if you want," the elder teen grinned. "But it looked to me like you're pretty tired. Have you washed up yet?"

Sora shook his head. "I was waiting for the water to warm up."

"Is it hot enough for you now?"

"Hmm...I think it can be a little hotter," the brunette grinned mischievously as he reached for a washcloth and the liquid soap.

Together they washed each other under the pleasant stream of water that came down from the ceiling, which they both thought was pretty awesome. "I want one," Riku commented as Sora scrubbed his back.

"We'll have to add it to the list along with the giant jacuzzi bathtub," Sora giggled, his hands possibly lingering too long as he gently washed Riku's pecs next, noticing how red the right one had gotten. "Does it hurt?" he asked as he ran an index finger over it.

"Ngh," the silverette made a noise before gently pushing Sora's hand away. "No, but if you're going to insist on touching it, I prefer your mouth over your fingers," he confessed.

"Good to know," Sora snickered, allowing the water to rinse the soap away before kissing the offended spot. "Anything else I should know?"

"I can think of several things," Riku grinned as he grabbed the shampoo and began lathering Sora's hair.

The brunette murred happily as he leaned back into Riku, relishing the fingers gently massaging his scalp, "Like what?"

"I'm not sure I should tell you if you haven't done any of the required reading," the silverette chuckled as he took his time playing with the suds in Sora's hair.

The brunette felt his cheeks reddening, "I-I've done some reading..." he retorted quietly.

Riku's fingers stopped, "You have?"

"Yeah, a little. Have you?"

Riku cleared his throat. "Of course." He then took a step back so Sora could get rinsed off fully beneath the shower, resuming running his hands through the chocolate locks to help get the suds out. "So...you do know why I said no yesterday, right?"

"Mm-hmm. You didn't want us rushing into things," Sora hummed. "And I agree with you."

"Yes, and I'm glad. But...you have figured out the other reason too, right?"

"Other reason?" Sora blinked.

"So you _didn't_ do a lot of reading," Riku facepalmed.

Sora got even redder, "How much more reading do I have to do??" He flailed and squeezed Riku's middle to hide his embarrassment. "Rikuuuuuuu!" he whined.

Riku felt his own embarrassment rising but also couldn't resist how incredibly cute Sora was being right now, his own defenses getting chipped away bit by bit until he's just unable to say deny answering him. "Just that...it might be uncomfortable the first time."

"Wait, so you're saying it might hurt? How do you know?" Sora asked while tilting his head up at Riku. But the teen didn't answer, instead his cheeks proceeded to get a little redder and the warm shower was not to blame. "Wait...have you...?"

"No," the teen answered quickly. "Just...on myself."

"Oh," the brunette blinked. "What's that like?"

Riku half-expected that follow-up question, but he didn't expect Sora to look so irresistible while he asked. "I could give you and idea of what it's like...if you really want to know."

"I do," Sora nodded.

"Alright. But you're going to have to trust me...and relax."

"Okay."

"I'll be gentle."

"Okay..."

"Stop me if it's too much."

Sora gave himself to Riku, melting under his attentive hands and careful caresses. When Riku felt the time was right, he guided Sora to bend over and brace his hands on the wall handle. With the liquid body soap to assist his entry, the teen gently probed Sora with a single digit while rubbing his back with his other hand to soothe him every step of the way.

"Relax...it's okay. You're doing so good," Riku whispered into his ear.

"It...feels weird," Sora groaned as his fingers curled into the granite wall.

"I know, but it'll get better. I promise. Just breathe."

It wasn't that the entry was difficult, but Sora was clearly excited, his inner muscles clutching at Riku's finger over and over. Once the teen calmed, he was able to get his finger in all the way and find that spot that he knew would get the reaction he was waiting for.

"Riku!" the brunette gasped and stilled, his head rolling back as he felt Riku prod something that shocked his entire system in a way he never thought possible.

The elder teen held onto his waist to support Sora as he felt him shake from the spike of pleasure he just felt. The brunette's face looked absolutely divine as he watched his face contort in pure, overwhelming bliss. In another couple of seconds, Sora moved his hips, begging him to continue. It was so tempting to slip in a second finger but Riku didn't want to overwhelm either of them too much. If he puts in two, he'd be tempted to keep going even further beyond that and Sora's already becoming undone as it is. As he watched Sora enjoy himself, he felt so thankful and glad he could do this for the teen as he recalled how he had to figure this out on his own, how he experimented on himself as he agonized over his feelings for his best friend. So guilty that he felt for the things he wanted to do, he'd spend nights seeing if it would hurt just to ease his conscience. After all, nobody was there to tell him otherwise. Now that they're together, he can answer any questions Sora might have. He won't have to wonder alone anymore. Anything they don't know, they'll figure out together. 

Once he felt Sora was stable enough, he reaches to grip Sora's length and gently pump it, observing how the hot organ began to swell in his hand the more Sora enjoyed his penetrating finger. "It's getting bigger..." he observed out loud.

Sora's face lit up and he groaned loudly, his insides clenching around the invading digit, locking it in place while he inwardly screamed. _RIKU!!! DON'T TALK ABOUT IT LIKE THAT!_

In that instant, Riku could have sworn he heard Sora screaming at him as his entire being buckled with a pleasurable shock from seemingly out of nowhere. But he wasn't...did Sora just? As his heart pounded even harder and all coherent thoughts felt like they were being thrown into a blender, he got caught up in a whirlwind of ecstasy flooding through their connection. It was scary but it felt _so good_! When Sora relaxed again, he dared to thrust his finger, gently jabbing his prostate faster and faster.

"AH! AH! Ri-RIKU! AAH!!" Sora cried out, throwing his head back as he thrust his hips into Riku's hand and back against the finger torturing him. He could feel his cock spurting with every jab of the invading digit and he was being driven to heights he had never expected. _What's the whole thing going to feel like???_

"Better than you could ever imagine," Riku moaned in a low voice, responding to the question he could feel Sora's heart screaming while he milked the smaller teen, his own pleasure riding out along with his as Sora kept unintentionally assaulting his senses with their connection.

"RIKUUUUU!!" the brunette let out one last scream as he came at long last, his knees immediately giving out as he slid to the floor.

Riku was quick to catch him and the two fell together. The older teen hit the floor first with Sora in his lap and moaned as one stroke of Sora's thigh against his length sent him over the edge and cumming over both their laps. Together the two sat heaving on the shower floor as the water started to feel cooler and let it rinse off their bodies while they attempted to gather themselves. "Sora...Sora..." the silver-haired teen panted as he clutched him tightly and rested his head against the shower wall.

"Riku...I felt..." Sora panted, unable to form full sentences as he melted into Riku's body.

"I know...I felt it too..." Riku finished for him while reaching up to turn the water off.

"I didn't know...I'm sorry..." the brunette tried to apologize. Sure, the experience felt amazing, but as he came down from his high, he felt guilty. Maybe it's because of how much he cherished their connection and wondered if he abused it in some way. After all, he pretty much incapacitated Riku without any warning.

"Don't be. I'm not," Riku insisted as he kissed at Sora's damp neck. "We'll just have to be careful in the future. That's all."

"Heh..." Sora managed to chuckle as he tilted his head to look up at Riku. "Thank you...for showing me...you know."

"Any time," Riku grinned and kissed the tip of Sora's nose. "But again, that was just to give you an idea."

Sora's face lit up again at the thought of it possibly getting any more intense than what he just experienced and groaned when his sated length twitched in protest. "L-let's not talk about that right now. I'm so tired."

"Oh, NOW you're tired?" the silverette joked as he tried to move, but Sora was still a limp noodle. "You're the one who woke up in the middle of the night."

"Nnnnnnnnngh..." the brunette whined as Riku tried to move them both. "Don't wanna..."

"I am not letting you sleep on the shower floor. Come on, let's go!" the keyblade master insisted as he forced them both to stand up while keeping one hand gripped on the safety bar. "Up you get." But as he tugged at Sora's body, he realized that the teen was out cold. "Sora?" He shook him a little the only response he got was a quiet snore. "What the...?" He couldn't help but laugh as he reached for a towel and wrapped it around the teen before carrying him out of the shower stall. As he got the teen dried off and ready for bed, he shook his head, "I am not gonna let you forget about this in the morning."


	50. All I Fear, Means Nothing

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's almost time. The keyblade's chosen heroes discuss their strategy on the eve of the final battle.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all for all the love and support you've given this fic. Without you, I'm pretty sure this fic wouldn't have been nearly as long as it is now. As we near the end, I'm seriously debating on writing a sequel. We shall see. Until then, I hope you continue to enjoy the story! Thank you so much! <3

When Riku awoke the next morning, it was still raining pretty heavily and it appeared to still be dark outside as storm clouds continued to gather. He found he didn't really mind, though. If anything he found it very cozy and was more than happy for an excuse to cuddle with Sora for a little longer. But as he turned his attention back to the sleeping teen, something felt a little off. Having slept beside Sora for many nights now, he knows all of his sleeping postures, or lack thereof. This morning, he found it strange to discover that Sora hadn't moved from where Riku placed him on the bed last night. _He must've been really tired._ Riku mused to himself as he ghosted his fingers through Sora's hair that was still slightly damp since he himself was too tired to do a very good job of drying him off last night. But he wasn't going to take the fall for that. Nope.

As he watched, however, Sora finally seemed to stir, but only to turn and curl against Riku. "Morning," he muttered softly.

"Heh, good morning," Riku smirked and pressed a kiss to his temple while wrapping his arms around the brunette properly. This was more like it. "Sleep well?"

"Depends. It's not still night time, is it?" Sora groaned while sneaking a peak out the windows, confused to see it's still dark outside.

"It's morning," Riku assured him. "Looks like the storm isn't over yet," he mused as he idly traced his fingers up and down Sora's spine.

"Bummer," Sora sighed. "Guess we might spend all day inside then."

"I don't mind that," the silverette grinned.

"You don't?" Sora looked up, slightly surprised.

"Sure, why not? We have this nice room and all these snacks. We should enjoy ourselves. Besides, we need to be ready for our phone conference with Master Yen Sid and the others about tomorrow."

"We're having a phone conference?" Sora blinked.

"Did you miss that part?"

"I dunno," the brunette yawned as he nuzzled into Riku's pectoral. "Maybe I forgot."

"Could be. Are you hungry?"

"Oh you know I am!" Sora giggled. "What's for breakfast?"

"How about whatever's on the table over there?" Riku pointed at all the assorted sweets and stuff on the entryway table that they hadn't even had a chance to glean over yet.

"Ooh, I'll go look!" the brunette volunteered, suddenly energetic as he comedically needed to roll over four times before he was out of bed.

Riku scooched up on the bed, propping some of the pillows up so he could sit up properly against the headboard while he enjoyed the view of Sora from behind. "What's over there?"

"Let's see, looks like cakes, muffins, and chocolate covered strawberries...and a lot of fruit," Sora listed as he perused the table's contents. "What would you like?"

"Can I have a slice of that cutie pie?" the keyblade master grinned.

"Cutie...? Hey wait a minute!" Sora blushed scarlet and turned to look at Riku who was snickering into the pillows. "Very funny!"

"I thought so."

"You're lucky you're pretty."

Now it was Riku's turn to blush as he crossed his arms in a huff. "Whatever, you know you like it. Just grab one of everything."

"Yes, your highness," Sora snickered as he grabbed the fruit basket and the plate full of muffins and strawberries, sliding them on to the bed before hoisting himself up since it was so high, earning another chuckle from Riku. Once he settled, he offered to feed Riku a strawberry. "Is the pretty prince hungry?"

"Soraaaaaaa," the elder teen growled as his cheeks remained pink.

"Hmmmmmm?" the brunette grinned cheekily as he pressed the dark chocolate-covered strawberry to Riku's lips. When the other teen attempted to take a bite he pulled the strawberry back, further teasing him.

The second time Sora offered it to Riku, he snatched a bite quickly before Sora could pull it away again and pressed the smaller teen down into the pillows by his shoulders, forcing his lips onto his until Sora's parted and he fed him the strawberry he just took a bite out of. "Swallow," he ordered in a husky voice.

Sora shivered as he did what he was told, chewing the sweet fruit and savoring the dark chocolate before swallowing while Riku watched him with a dark stare. Once he gulped it down, he timidly offered Riku the rest of the strawberry who snatched the large fruit in his mouth with one bite before sitting up and releasing him, leaving Sora a hot and bothered mess while also gawking at how easily Riku devoured the whole thing while only leaving the stem in his hand. Just the implication made his heart pound.

"You going to eat or what?" Riku asked too casually for Sora's liking while he grabbed a muffin.

"Y-yeah," Sora stammered as he sat up and grabbed a chocolate chip muffin for himself.

Riku smirked knowingly into his muffin while he watched the brunette fumble and struggle with the wrapper on his own muffin and decided to grant him a little levity by kissing him sweetly on the cheek. "Need help with that?"

Somehow the soft gesture calmed Sora and he was able to giggle as he unwrapped the muffin. "I got it, thank you." As he stuffed the moist breakfast food into his mouth, he heard thunder roll overhead and the dim lighting in the room proceeded to get dimmer. "Reminds me of when we were kids."

"Hm?" Riku hummed questioningly as he leaned into Sora while grabbing one of the mini blueberry muffins to try next.

"When your mom would let us have snacks in your bed on stormy days. And we'd make pillow forts as we pretended to hide from the storm."

"Heh, yeah, those were fun," the other teen smiled fondly at the memory. Usually the sleepovers were at Sora's place but on the occasion they had them at Riku's, they felt the need to make the sleepover feel like an epic adventure each time. Maybe it was because his room (and his entire house) was bigger, maybe it was because his parents kind of gave them free reign, but whatever the reason, they were always turning cardboard boxes into pirate ships or making castles out of giant wooden blocks and of course, making pillow and blanket forts.

"Maybe we should make a blanket fort," Sora suggested as he peeled an orange.

Riku raised an eyebrow, "Really?"

"Yeah, why not?" the brunette grinned toothily. "It'll be fun! Plus, we're marching into battle tomorrow. We need a strong fort!"

The keyblade couldn't help laughing at his childish enthusiasm. "Sure. We'll make the best pillow fort ever."

"YES!" Sora bounced happily.

"AFTER we eat and get dressed, though," Riku stipulated.

"Yeah, yeah," the other agreed gleefully.

Once they stuffed themselves with sweets, they each got dressed in black shorts and the hoodies they bought yesterday before clearing the bed of their snacks and gathering couch cushions and extra sheets to make a pillow fort on the giant bed. By using the couch cushions and propping them up just so, they managed to drape the sheets over just carefully enough to make a stable blanket fort. By the time they had finished, it was already well past noon and they were expecting a call on the gummi phone any minute.

While they waited, the two sat close together, propped up on pillows while they checked Kingstragram on their phones. One particular post caught Riku's eye from Ven as it had Sora's name heart-tagged with the caption, "Thank you for bringing my friend back to me." Pictured was Ven holding up a strange gray cat-looking creature wearing a pink pouch. "Sora?" Riku questioned and showed Sora the phone.

Sora's felt his ears turn red. "Well, let's just say I was a little busy last night."

"How did you--?"

"I told you: I sometimes wander into places without realizing it."

"That doesn't answer anything," Riku huffed.

"I'm sorry I don't have a good answer," Sora apologized as he kissed Riku's cheek. "But Chirithy helped me and Kairi and I wanted to return the favor."

"I see. Well, Ven sure looks happy," the silverette hummed. He couldn't stay mad at Sora, even if he gives terrible explanations for his actions. He then scrolled through his texts to see messages from all the others who have announced their arrival at Master Yen Sid's tower. "Looks like they all made it there okay."

"Mm-hmm. Should we be there with them?" the brunette asked as he rested his head on Riku's shoulder, feeling a little guilty that they weren't meeting with their friends.

"Nah. I'm sure they understand. Besides, if the enemy is keeping an eye on us, it's less suspicious this way."

"Huh?"

"Think about it. _If_ we're being watched, they might suspect that we're onto them if we're all gathered in one place. With us separate from the group, there's less attention on the rest of them gathering," Riku pointed out.

"That's a good point. Though now I'm worried about being watched. Good thing we have such a strong pillow fort," Sora joked.

"Yeah, good thing," the keyblade master laughed.

Riku suddenly received a text from Roxas and hurried to read it.

Roxas: where r u?

Riku: I told you already.

Roxas: omg no wai

Riku: Way?

Roxas: R u THAT determined to not die a virgin?

Riku: Nobody's going to die! >[

Sora suddenly got a text next. "Don't answer it, Sora!" Riku warned.

Roxas: Did u do it?

Sora: Do what?

Roxas: O M G

Sora: ? ? ?

Roxas: Im proud of u! <3

Sora: Thanks? o.o? <3?

Riku glared at the phone buzzing in Sora's hands, "What did you say?" Before Sora could answer, his own phone buzzed again.

Roxas: LOL

Riku: =_= ,,|,,

Roxas: Wth?

Riku: It means go screw yourself. >P

Roxas: I can't. Ur with him.

"OH MY GOD!" Riku shouted out loud. "When I see that little--!"

"What? What did he say?" Sora asked before his phone buzzed again.

Roxas: Is he mad?

Sora: Yes  
Sora: What did you say?

Roxas: Good. :D  
Roxas: Nothing. See you at the meeting! ^_~

Sora looked up from his phone to see Riku furiously texting back. "Seriously, what's going on?"

"Don't worry about it," Riku huffed as his thumbs rapidly tapped the screen.

Riku: That is so messed up!

Roxas: JK JK! Ur 2 easy! ;P

Riku: When's the meeting?

Roxas: Soon. Idk

Riku: You suck

Roxas: U wish

"Your nobody is really starting to tick me off!" Riku growled as he tossed the phone across the bed.

"Hey, be careful with that. You just got a new one," Sora scolded playfully as he typed out a message to Roxas.

Sora: Be nice :P

Roxas: No

Sora: Plz?

Roxas: Fine :P

Sora: <3

Roxas: Meeting's in 5

Sora: Ty!

Roxas: Np

Sora chuckled and leaned over to kiss Riku's cheek. "Roxas says the meeting's in five minutes."

"Of course," Riku huffed and grabbed his phone again before wrapping his free arm around Sora to pull him close. "You ready for this?"

"Yeah," Sora nodded and nuzzled his nose against Riku's. "With our friends helping us, we can handle anything."

"That's right," the silverette smiled and kissed the tip of the teen's nose.

_Do de dooooooooooooo~_

Both gummi phones rang and the two exchanged glances before nodding and answering with video chat, only to be greeted with Roxas's face first. "Hey, you two!"

"Roxas!" Sora greeted.

"Are you orchestrating the call?" Riku asked.

"Nah, I'm just setting up the tablet. We got you set up on a bigger screen so everybody can see you. Wait...why are both your faces red?" he eyed them suspiciously. "And are you wearing matching hoodies?"

Sora glanced sideways at Riku who merely frowned as Sora just sank further into his hoody to hide his face.

"Ugh, I'd tell you to get a room, but you've already done that."

"Roxas! Stop teasing them!" Xion's voice called from somewhere behind the blonde.

"Hey, Xion!" Sora waved.

"Hey, Sora! Hey, Riku! Can you see us okay?"

"We can only see Roxas's big head at the moment," Riku pointed out.

"Hang on, I'm working on it," Roxas huffed as the camera wiggled back and forth while he adjusted it. Finally he stood back to reveal that they're all in a room that Sora hadn't seen before. Everybody was gathered around a large round table and getting settled in. Once they saw Sora and Riku, they all began waving and the two awkwardly waved back. "Can you see everything now?"

"Yup!" Sora grinned. "Hi, everybody!"

"Hi!" everybody greeted back while Riku just nodded in greeting.

In the Mysterious Tower, the entire gang had gathered in the meeting room with a large screen on one end of the table, essentially a giant version of the gummi phone on its side with Sora and Riku in split screen vision as part of the group call. This way, they hoped Sora and Riku would be able to see everybody. In the center of the table they had piles of headsets and a large map.

Ven looked up at the screen and noticed something weird about Sora and Riku's background, "Are you guys in a tent?"

Kairi was the first to chuckle before the two even got a chance to answer, "Did you make a pillow fort?"

Sora blushed again, "Uh..."

"That's so cute!" Naminé giggled.

Roxas groaned as he took his seat next to Xion, "It's disgusting, that's what it is."

Axel laughed, "Disgustingly cute, maybe."

Before Sora could even retort (Riku's just been taking it all in silence), he squinted at the screen and noticed somebody sitting next to Donald. "Uncle Scrooge?"

"Ah! Gud mornin' to ya, lads!" the duck bajillionaire greeted with a tip of his silk hat. "I trust ye've been well!"

"We have! Good morning! But uh...why are you there?" Sora asked.

"We'll go over that in a second," Kairi assured him.

Master Yen Sid raised a hand and everybody quieted down, scooching their chairs in as they got settled. "If everybody's accounted for, I think we should get started."

The entire group including Sora and Riku nodded. It was time to get down to business.

"Kairi, why don't you start us off," King Mickey suggested.

"Right," Kairi nodded and stood, shoving aside some of the headsets on the table to point out the map to Sora and Riku. "So we've traced his location to a place called "The World That Shall Never Be"."

"Wait, how do we even know that's what the world is called?" Sora interrupted.

"Well, that's what it's called on his shipping address?" Kairi explained.

"His shipping address?" the brunette asked with a tilt of his head.

"Yes, when we traced the coordinates from the IP address, we ran them by Mr. McDuck to see if he knew a route and it turns out, the Master of Masters is a customer," she added while looking at the duck pointedly.

"We're calling him Bob now," Sora interrupted again.

"Bob?"

"Yeah, for Bastard of Bastards."

"Nice," Kairi chuckled, earning a laugh from everybody in the room, even a small smirk from Master Yen Sid.

"But wait, you mean Uncle Scrooge has known where he is this whole time?"

"I run a business, lads! It's not my place to question ma customers."

"Ugh..."

"So what's our plan?" Riku asked.

"Wait, don't you guys have a plan already?" Ven asked.

"Nope. There's never a plan," Sora shook his head.

"Oh right," Ven sighed, along with everybody else.

"Why isn't there ever a plan?" Aqua asked.

"A-hyuck! You can't mess up the plan if you never had one to begin with!" Goofy answered cheerfully.

"Fortunately, _we_ have come up with a strategy," Master Yen Sid stated.

"Right," Terra stood up next and pointed to the map which started projecting a magical 3D illusion for everybody to see. "This is going to be one of the biggest worlds we've ever come across and we need to approach carefully."

Sora and Riku squinted as the world map unfolded itself and showed an array of different terrains, some even looking oddly familiar, as if it was made of other worlds haphazardly sewn together.

Riku hummed, "So we don't know for certain where he's located on this world?"

"Aye, lads," Scrooge McDuck spoke up. "The terrain changes all the time according to my employees who make the drop-offs."

"Surely you don't plan for us to split up?" Isa asked, sounding almost protective as he gave Roxas, Xion, and Lea a side glance.

"Absolutely not," Master Yen Sid shook his head. "The number one priority above all else is to protect Sora."

Sora sheepishly glanced to the side as he wanted nothing more than to sink deeper into his hoody and just disappear. But out of view of the others, Riku squeezed his hand reassuringly while everybody in the room nodded in agreement.

"We have Tron pinging the IP address. As long as he can maintain that connection, we have an idea of where Bob's headquarters are located, reducing the need for exploration. But we have to be prepared to move at any time," Kairi explained.

Mickey stood up in his chair next, "And that's why we're forming groups." He climbed onto the table and picked up the ear pieces, passing one to everybody at the table. "Each of you are going to be grouped with somebody who can use portals of darkness. This will not only ensure that we can move around quickly, but it will also work as our backup plan if we get separated."

"So these things will help us talk to each other if we get separated?" Aqua asked.

"Not just that," Naminé spoke up shyly.

"That's right," Master Yen Sid nodded. "Naminé has volunteered for one of the most important jobs."

"Since I have control over the connections attached to Sora's heart, I can redirect everybody to his location if he's ever lost. And since you're all connected to him, I can keep track of you, as well. So all of you will have direct contact with me while I'm at the tower with Master Yen Sid," the blonde explained.

"Whoa, that's great, Naminé!" Sora praised.

Riku nodded, giving her a proud smile. "We're counting on you."

Naminé smiled happily at the both of them. "I got your back!"

"You'll do great!" Kairi grinned. "Sora, Riku, we'll give you your ear pieces when you arrive with the rest of us."

"Right," both nodded.

"Sho wut are da groopsh?" Donald asked eagerly.

"Right! So we're going to split up into four teams!" Mickey explained.

It wasn't much a surprise when it was decided that Kairi, Sora, and Riku would be Team 1. Mickey, Donald, and Goofy would be Team 2. Aqua, Terra, and Ven would be Team 3 and the only team with four members would be Isa, Axel, Roxas, and Xion as Team 4. However, Riku saw one small problem with this lineup.

"That leaves only our team without a person who can use portals of darkness," Riku pointed out.

King Mickey nodded, "Yeah, about that. We figured it'd be better if Sora avoided all portals of darkness entirely, especially since we know Xigbar has been using them to freely travel."

"Oh, that's a good point," Sora sighed.

"I don't like it," Roxas huffed. "So we all have a backup plan of escape EXCEPT for Sora? That's not right."

"Don't forget, the goal is to NOT get separated," Ven reminded him. "As long as one of our groups is nearby, there will be a way to escape. There's no way they can get past all of us, right?"

Roxas smiled and nodded at his look-a-like, "I guess you're right."

King Mickey walked to the center of the table again and poked at the map a few times so that small icons of the teams' faces popped up to indicate their locations, all the teams surrounding Sora's team in the middle. "With Tron's help, we're going to land as close to the pinged location as possible. According to Uncle Scrooge, the area is teeming with heartless and nobodies."

"Aye, I'll be lending my ship to help those of ye who don't have a way to get there. But get one scratch on it and you'll pay for it in full!" the duck warned.

"Aw, don't be stingy, Unca Scrooge!" Donald pleaded.

"Stingy? I'm providing potions and supplies for this venture, aren't I? Watch yerself, boy."

"Sowwy," the other duck apologized quickly.

The king chuckled, "Don't worry, your ship's in safe hands. I've already uploaded the coordinates for our meet-up location to all the gummi ship computers."

"Once we land, we need to make sure we conserve as much of our energy as possible and focus on the real enemy," Terra added.

"Knowing our luck, I don't think we can count on avoiding heartless or anything when we arrive. Xigbar wouldn't make it that easy for us. So I think we should make sure that at least Sora, Riku, and Kairi conserve as much as _they_ can while we do all the mob fighting," Axel suggested.

"No way!" Sora spoke up, startling Riku and the others.

"But Sora," Aqua interjected. "He has a point," she admitted with a frown. "You should let us deal with the weaker heartless while you three worry about...Bob."

"Even if it makes sense, I'm not going to stand by and let you guys wear yourselves out fighting on my behalf. Mobs are my specialty! It only makes sense if we fight together!" the brunette protested.

"A-hyuck! That's right. It'd be much easier with Sora helping out. We'll just have to make sure he doesn't overdo it!" Goofy added.

"It won't even be an issue if we avoid the mobs as planned," Roxas crossed his arms impatiently.

"If we all pull our weight, we should all be fine so we can all take on Bob TOGETHER," Xion said sternly. "I don't like the idea of just relying on the three to be able to do it on their own either."

"We need to ensure balance is maintained," Isa nodded.

"That's right. So we all need to communicate!" Naminé added with fierce determination in her usually soft voice. "We need to work together and tell each other when we're not doing well. This isn't just about Sora or any one of us, this is about everybody!"

"Except for the part where it is about Sora," Ven chuckled, earning a punch in the arm from Aqua. "Ow!" the blonde winced and rubbed his arm. "She's right, though. We all have to stand together!"

Sora sighed with relief as they all made noises of agreement and Riku squeezed his hand again.

"Say we DO run into mobs or a large coordinated attack, should we organize like we did against the Xehanort copies?" Riku asked.

"Correct," Master Yen Sid confirmed and nodded to Mickey to explain since he helped orchestrate the strategy during the keyblade war while Sora, Donald, and Goofy were dealing with Master Xehanort.

"Right, so we need an offensive lineup, defensive lineup, and a healing lineup," Mickey started.

It took a little bit of debating and switching around, but finally the lineups were decided with some people potentially playing two roles, namely Sora, who will switch between healing and offense. On the defensive, the ones providing shields and support, are Xion, Kairi, Aqua, Mickey, and Goofy. Donald, Goofy, Axel, and Kairi have also been assigned as healers (much to Donald's dismay), and the rest were on the offensive team. With the aforementioned teams, they all knew which people to look out for so they don't overlap each other. Once that was settled, they discussed possible formations which Riku was surprised to see Sora had no trouble following along with the discussion, as if he _was_ there with them during that battle and knew exactly what each of them were talking about. Sora sensed Riku looking at him and flashed him a toothy smile, to which Riku smiled back as he chuckled inwardly at the realization. _He probably was there somehow._

After more intense discussion regarding strategy and formations, everybody was visibly exhausted with the youngest of the keyblade wielders sinking slowly into their chairs. It got to the point where the masters and Donald and Goofy did most of the talking while the others did their best to keep up, except for Donald. They mostly tuned him out. Partially through, Scrooge McDuck decided he wasn't needed for the rest of the meeting and left them to it as he went to distribute the supplies he's donated for their journey in each of their rooms with the instruction to Kairi that he's leaving Sora and Riku's supplies in her care to give them when they arrive.

"So when's the best time to strike?" Kairi asked at long last.

"You should all arrive before dawn," Master Yen Sid stated firmly. "Land, exchange supplies, discuss everything one last time under the cover of darkness, and then carry forth your mission."

"Right!" they all nodded.

"Sora. Riku. Do you have any objections or questions?" the wise wizard asked, though he seemed to be eyeing Sora when he said it.

"Mm-mmm," Sora shook his head. "Riku?"

"I think we're square," Riku agreed.

"Then we shall adjourn. Rest, all of you. And tomorrow, may your hearts be your guiding key."

The connection cut off and Sora dropped his phone to the bed with an exhausted sigh as he flopped back against the pillows.

"You okay?" Riku asked as he too set his phone down before turning over on his side and propping his head up look at Sora.

Sora made a noise akin to a whine and grabbed Riku's hand to place over his own heart which was pounding rapidly in his chest while he squeezed his eyes tightly closed, hoping it would convey what he couldn't find the words to say.

Riku got the message loud and clear. "Sora..."

"I'm scared, Riku," Sora whispered to the ceiling of their blanket fort.

"Well good. If you weren't, I'd call you an idiot," Riku smirked, leaning forward to press a kiss to Sora's forehead as he lazily brushed his fingers through his chestnut hair with his spare hand.

Sora murred softly at the comforting touches, his brow slowly unfurrowing as he relaxed and a smile creeping on the corners of his lips. He kept his hand over Riku's on his chest. "We're going to be okay, right?"

"We will, Sora," Riku assured him as he gently stroked his thumb soothingly over Sora's pec. 

Sora exhaled a long breath. "It's not that I don't believe in us. I do; with all my heart. It's just I don't want anybody to get hurt," the brunette explained as he slowly opened his eyes to look at Riku.

"I know what you meant," the other assured him again as he continued to stroke his fingers through the smaller teen's feathery locks. "I can't guarantee that nobody will get hurt. But I know we'll all be okay. I can feel it." Riku sighed, his warm breath cascading over Sora's face and making the other's eyelashes flutter. Beneath his hand he could feel Sora's heart rate getting slower as he relaxed and smiled. "You're allowed to be scared. But I don't want you to worry, either. We know what we signed up for."

"You're right," Sora smiled back as he squeezed Riku's hand and reached up to brush Riku's cheek fondly with the other. "I love you so much."

"I love you, too," Riku whispered as he nuzzled into Sora's hand and leaned into give him a long, soft kiss.

As Riku's lips lingered over his, Sora moaned softly and moved his hands to gently tug on the front of Riku's hoody, urging him to come closer. Riku obliged and moved over top of him while continuing to press sweet kisses to Sora's lips. "Tell me...again..." Sora whispered between said kisses. "Please," he begged softly as he continued to clutch at the older teen's shirt.

Riku faltered for only a moment before his heart told him what it was that Sora wanted to hear. He chuckled softly as he kissed Sora one more time before moving downwards, whispering the vow he made so long ago. "If any stars come this way," he proclaimed softly as he kissed down Sora's neck and pressed a hand back over Sora's heart. "I'll just hit them back into outer space. I'll always keep you safe."

"Yes," Sora whispered as his eyes drifted closed and his hands moved to bury themselves in Riku's silky hair as he made a quiet sob in the back of his throat. "And..."

"And..." Riku added as he recalled the rest, "Let's promise to always be together. In exchange, have this," he murmured as he kissed along the skin where the chain holding the sacred charm of their friendship hung around his neck before pressing a kiss to the silver crown itself. "As long as you have this, remember that I'll always be around to protect you."

"Riku..." the brunette choked back tears as he held the other tightly.

"Sora..." Riku lifted his head to run his thumbs over Sora's cheeks where said tears were threatening to fall.

_Knock knock knock._ "Room service!"

Riku immediately stiffened and looked at Sora, "Did you forget to put the "Do Not Disturb" sign on the door knob?"

"There's a sign for that?" Sora blinked.

Riku sighed with exasperation but gave Sora a helpless smile, kissing the tip of his nose before getting up to answer the door. "One second, please!"

Sora hurried to get up, wiping his tears away quickly as he retreated to the balcony. Thankfully it had stopped raining while they were on the phone.

Riku let the maid inside and thanked them politely as they got to work. When he turned around, he noticed Sora had fled but followed the sound of the sliding door so that he wouldn't be in the way of the maid's work either. "I didn't even know we had a balcony," Riku observed as he stood out there with Sora.

"You didn't see them sticking out of the building when we got here?" Sora blinked through puffy, reddened eyes beneath his hood with his hands stuck in his hoody pouch.

Despite himself, Riku's eyes widened at how cute Sora looked with his hood up. "I...guess not," he grinned sheepishly.

Sora stared at him for a couple of seconds before giggling and looking at the rest of the balcony, noticing something tucked away in the corner. "What's this?" he asked curiously as he walked over to a weird metal contraption with a long piece of rainbow-colored fabric hanging from it.

"I think it's a..." Riku walked over and pulled on one side of it, the contraption clicking into place to reveal a hammock. "Yup. Just as I thought."

"Wow!" Sora's eyes lit up. "That's so cool!"

Riku felt the fabric and surprisingly found it to be dry so he took the liberty of lounging on it first before holding his arms out in invitation for Sora to join him, which the smaller teen was more than happy to accept. Together the two settled into the cozy hammock and observed the skyline as the sun began to set, both just now realizing how late in the evening it was. Up this high, it was a little more windy, so they held each other close as they watched the bright reds and oranges bleed together as the sun made its descent.

"Riku..."

"Hm?" Riku hummed as he looked down at the teen in his arms, running a thumb along his soft jawline as he admired how the orange glow of the setting sun lit up his tender features.

Sora sighed happily and closed his eyes at the gentle touch. Truth to be told, he just wanted to say the other's name. "I love you."

"I love you, too," Riku smiled, giving Sora an extra squeeze as he kissed his forehead. "Are you feeling better?"

"Yes. Thank you...how about you?" Sora glanced up to read Riku's face.

"Me?" Riku blinked, slightly taken aback.

"Yeah...aren't you nervous too?" he asked genuinely.

It only took a second of staring into those sapphire orbs before Riku's defenses went down. "Yeah," he admitted as he closed his eyes and buried his face in Sora's hair, inhaling deeply as he attempted to calm his heart again.

Sora closed his eyes and brought their clasped hands to his lips to kiss the backs of Riku's knuckles. "You're so strong, Riku."

"But what if it's not enough?"

"You're MORE than enough," Sora smiled as he kissed Riku's strong hands again, recalling how Riku told him the same thing back when their journey together began. "You being here gives me hope. You make me strong."

Riku snickered as he remembered his own words, "That's not fair. You can't steal my words."

"Yeah, well you stole my die-drate joke, so we're even."

"How is that even?"

"Just kiss me, _you_!" Sora shushed the other by turning in his arms and silencing him with a deep kiss.

Riku couldn't help laughing into the kiss as the hammock swung dangerously from Sora squirming around so much, wrapping his arms tightly around the other to help stabilize their center of gravity while the brunette kissed him. Together the two made out in the swaying hammock until the stars came out. When both their stomachs growled angrily, they decided to head back inside, unsurprised to see the maid had dismantled their pillow fort and cleaned up everything for them.

"Aw, that's a shame," Sora huffed.

"We can build it again," Riku snickered as he walked over to the table with the snacks to see if there's a menu for them to call room service. But when he got over there, he was surprised to see what appeared to be a small, potted bamboo tree with ribbons and bells hung from it. "What's this?" he asked out loud just as he noticed the little card and a few pieces of paper next to it with ribbons attached. "Tanabata?" he read.

"What's that?" Sora asked as he wandered over and draped his arms haphazardly over Riku's shoulders to hang off of him while he read the card.

"It says Tanabata is a day where people write their wishes and hang them on bamboo trees in the hopes that they come true."

"Aw, that's cute! Let's try it!" Sora smiled widely as he grabbed one of the fat black markers and picked a red paper for himself.

"Sure. What are you going to wish for?" Riku asked.

"I don't know..." Sora suddenly realized. "Most of my wishes have come true already," he grinned at Riku. "Does that card have any rules on it?"

"Uh..." Riku glanced at the card again. "Oh, it says if you write in calligraphy and hold your breath while doing it, it's more likely to come true."

"Oof, I don't know how to write calligraphy," Sora pouted.

"Then just hold your breath and write as neatly as you can," the elder teen laughed.

The brunette frowned down at his card, distressed to see that Riku already seemed to know what he wanted to write as he picked a bright blue one from the paper pile. "I don't know how I want to write my wish."

"You can't tell me you've forgotten how to write?" Riku laughed again.

Sora stuck his tongue out indignantly. "No! Of course not! I mean the phrasing!"

"Just do the best you can!" Riku snickered, almost exasperated with how much thought Sora was putting into this. Then again, Sora's always been like that. After all, wishes are very serious business. He had a good idea of what Sora wanted to wish for, but Sora would have to find those words for himself.

"Fine," Sora huffed before taking a deep breath and putting pen to paper, trying to keep his penmanship steady as he wrote his wish.

Riku did the same and together they hung their wishes up on the tree.

_Strength to protect what matters._

_Everybody to come home safe._


	51. The Beginning, The End

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> And so it begins. The group land in "The World that Shall Never Be", a constantly reforming terrain that's sure to challenge and push their limits as they pursue the Master of Masters, AKA Bob.

It was a miracle that Sora and Riku managed to get any sleep but a heavy dinner and a hot bubble bath really helped. Knowing what awaited them, they opted to go to bed early and were awake well before the sun came up. After snatching the rest of the free snacks and packing in a hurried silence, they returned their room keys and warped to the gummi ship. They carried on in determined, albeit nervous, silence for a while until a text notification on Riku's phone startled the both of them.

Roxas: U guys on ur way yet?  
Roxas: Hope u let Sora get sum sleep >3>

"Arghhh..." the flustered keyblade master grit his teeth as he shoves his phone back into his pocket. "Why does Roxas like to harass me so much?"

"Cuz you make it too easy!" Sora chuckled.

Riku glared at the brunette from the corner of his eye, "You're just as bad as he is!"

"Well, yeah?" he smirked.

Riku sighed and stared at his hands on the steering wheel, "Is he still mad about...?"

"He just has a crush on you, that's all," Sora yawned as he leaned back into his seat.

"WHAAAAAAAAAAT!?" the silverette jerked his head up to look at Sora. "On me!?"

The other teen blinked and gave a nervous smile. "Maybeeeeee I shouldn't have said that."

Suddenly Riku's face broke in an evil smile. "No, you did good. Thank you very much."

Sora gulped in pity for Roxas. "Riku...you're scaring me."

"Haha, don't worry about it," Riku assured him as he leaned over and gave Sora an affectionate kiss on the cheek.

The gummi computer gave them a very direct route but it felt like it took forever before the two got there. Maybe it was because of nerves, but the two both seemed to silently agree that this felt like one of the longest gummi rides they've ever taken and were visibly worried that they wouldn't make it before sunrise.

When their destination came into view, Sora couldn't help getting out of his seat to gaze at it through the window. "It's so...weird. The ground keeps moving!" he observed. Though the world appeared to have multiple and colorful terrains with lush greenery in some places, the ground kept shifting up and down and changing the scenery certain spots like a rotating sphere puzzle but with lots of REALLY small squares, or one of those 3D sensory toys with all the nails on a board that morphed into a shape when you pressed your hand on the backside.

"The intel says it should stabilize in two more minutes and then we'll land where the others are at," Riku nodded towards the computer monitor as he undid his seatbelt and stood up. "You ready?"

"As ready as I'll ever be," Sora nodded as he tapped the broach on his chest to activate his armor plate. "Are you?"

Riku smiled and pulled Sora into a long, deep kiss. Once they parted, he ran his thumb along Sora's jawline, drinking in his breathless face. "Now I am."

"Riku..." Sora blushed and hugged Riku hard, burying his face in the other's chest. "You can't do this to me when we're about to land. That's not fair!"

"I regret nothing," Riku said fondly as he bent his head down to bury his face into Sora's fluffy hair and deeply inhale his scent. "I love you."

"I love you so much," the smaller teen whispered. "When we're done, let's go home together."

"Right. My place or yours?" he chuckled.

"Yours. Definitely. Your bed is bigger," Sora giggled into his chest.

"It's going to be the best nap ever," Riku sighed dreamily. "I can't wait."

"Oh yes. Beyond compare," the other giggled even more.

"Sora..." Riku pulled away to look Sora in the eyes. "Stay with me?"

Sora locked gazes with Riku's soft teal orbs as he groped for the bracelet on his love's wrist. "Always...Riku," he vowed as he ran his fingers over the pretty stone charm. 

The two were still holding hands when the ship beamed them down to the ground. It was still very dark and both of them had to adjust their eyes to the dim light of the moon but all around them they soon noticed many figures in black cloaks. Sora immediately took a defensive stance but then a voice shushed from inside the nearest cloak.

"SHHHHH! It's us, you dummy!" Kairi hissed from beneath the black hood.

"Kairi?" Sora whispered. "Why is everybody wearing cloaks?"

"Just put these on," Kairi instructed as she tossed them each their black garb. "It's to provide us cover in this world. Our light is too bright."

The two hurried and complied. Riku didn't look too pleased to be donning a black robe again, however Sora thought it was very interesting. "Wow, it's heavier than it looks," he whispered.

Riku looked down to see Sora looking up at him from beneath the hood. It was cute and he didn't like it. The brunette seemed to sense how torn the taller teen was and flashed him a toothy smile with a tilt of his head that just caused Riku to have to turn his attention back to Kairi. "What's next?"

Kairi then handed them their ear pieces that wrapped around their ear. The microphone was self-contained so that it wouldn't get in their way. After which, Kairi even took some medical tape and taped it down for them so that they wouldn't budge since she already knew how much those two jumped around during combat. She wasn't taking any chances. Sora wasn't too pleased about having something taped to his head but it could be worse. He was already starting to feel warm with all of these layers on, though. After that, Kairi loaded them up with the supplies donated by Scrooge McDuck. Both teens were loaded with as many elixirs as they could fit in their pockets with the exception of Riku getting a couple of ethers for the time being and Sora getting a few megalixers since he's second string on the healing team. After the supplies were distributed, Sora tested the connection on his headset to talk to Naminé.

"Naminé, can you hear me?"

"Loud and clear, Sora. You ready?"

"Yeah! I'm in your hands. Thank you for doing this."

"You can thank me after it's over," the blonde giggled.

Sora chuckled. That's right, he still has to give her his official thank you. "You got it."

"With all of us here, there's going to be a lot of radio traffic, so Tron's going to be listening to all of our voices and connect to the different channels for us. Each team and Naminé has their own channel so that we're not all shouting at once. So if you need something from the other teams, say their name or their team clearly so Tron can redirect," Kairi instructed.

At the mention of Tron, Sora pulled his phone out of his pocket and opened the Tron app, using the camera to give him a thumbs up, which the program returned with a wink.

"Yeah, about that," Roxas wandered over with his hands laced behind his head. "I should've mentioned this earlier, but I can't remember what the team numbers are. Can we have team names instead?"

Naminé's voice rang over all their mics. "I think that's a great idea."

Everybody else gathered around quickly to come up with their names. After a quick discussion, it wasn't too hard for them to decide on names.

"We'll be Team Sea Salt," Xion giggled.

"Team Wayfinder," Aqua smiled.

"The Destiny Trio," Kairi grinned.

"Uh..." Mickey looked towards his companions. They still haven't decided on a name.

"The Musketeers!" Goofy chuckled proudly.

Mickey chuckled, "Of course!"

Sora and Riku also snickered with Sora whispering under his breath, "All for one, and one for all."

After making sure Tron was updated on all the team names the groups got back on track. Sora took this time to take in their surroundings for the first time and realized they were in a forest clearing. Looming high above them, almost blocking out the large moon was a massive clock tower that looked like it was either half-built or falling apart, possibly both. 

"Ven, are you paying attention?" Aqua asked. Apparently she was speaking to him but Ven was staring up at the tower like Sora was.

Sora looked over at Ven's face, his irises were quaking and his mouth was open as if in a perpetual gasp. "Ven?" he whispered and felt a stabbing pain through his chest that made him wince but he didn't want to alarm anybody. Instead he just quietly walked over and gently touched Ven's shaking hand. This seemed to snap him out of it, as the blonde looked to Sora and the concerned looks of Terra and Aqua.

"I-I'm fine. Really," he whispered. "We should get moving soon, right?"

"The area ahead will re-stabilize in four minutes. If you walk, the area should be safe by the time you get there and from that point it should be a straight shot to the clock tower where we believe Bob is hiding," Tron explained through their headsets.

"Then let's go," Riku nodded to the others.

"Right," everybody answered and quickly got into the formation they discussed, pulling up their hoods and beginning their walk through the dark woods.

Though they were walking through what should've been soft grass, something didn't feel right about the way it CRUNCHED beneath Sora's shoes. It sounded like they were all walking on crackers. Amidst the silence, the crunching was almost maddening and Sora just couldn't help stopping and bending down to pluck a few blades of grass to look at it in his hands. But once he held it up to squint at it, it didn't resemble grass at all. It looked more like tiny chips of rock. They were silver and black and reflected the light of his gummi phone screen. "What is this stuff?" he whispered.

"Sora, don't break formation," Riku whispered, urging Sora forward by gently grabbing his elbow.

"Right. Sorry," the brunette apologized and dusted his hand off before catching back up.

Sora clearly wasn't the only one feeling uneasy. Ven, Xion, and Roxas were all falling back in their formations and crowding around Sora, Riku, and Kairi, and it wasn't lost on Isa who hissed at the Roxas and Xion. "You don't need to walk that closely to him. You'll end up tripping on each other."

"Heh heh," Xion chuckled sheepishly as she fell back into her position. Ven felt like he had also been caught and fell back in line as well. Roxas, however, remained stubbornly where he was, which was just a little bit behind Riku.

"Glad to see you're walking okay," Roxas snerked at Riku.

Riku immediately froze so that Roxas nearly ran into him. Sora felt the atmosphere immediately get really awkward but before he could inquire what the big deal was, Riku had already grabbed Roxas by the wrist and forcefully took him out of sight into the woods.

"Wait, Riku--" Sora whispered, about to go after them, but Axel stopped Sora with a hand on his shoulder.

"Just give them a moment," Axel whispered. "Better to get it out of the way now."

_Get what out of the way?_ Sora wondered.

Riku dragged a struggling Roxas out of sight and earshot into the dense thicket before stopping in front of a thick tree.

"What's the big idea, you jerk?" Roxas hissed, backing into said tree.

Riku said nothing, only pressed closer with his body walling Roxas in while he leaned into the tree with one hand and stared down at the blonde with an intense look.

Roxas grit his teeth as he locked eyes with the taller male whose face was looming uncomfortably close to his. The longer he stared at him with that blank, yet intense expression, the more his heart began to pound. His eyes glanced for just the barest second at his lips and he could feel his face getting hot. His fingers clutched at the bark of the tree as he felt tiny beads of perspiration trickle down the back of his neck. Finally he couldn't stand looking at the other any more and closed his eyes.

"Are you okay?"

The blonde's eyes shot open again and looked up at the teen with an expression of shock. He expected Riku to be angry, to ask questions about why he'd been tormenting him, maybe even throttle him. But he didn't expect such a question...nor for it to be asked so softly. "What?"

"It's okay, you know. It's just like I told Sora," Riku gave a small, half-smile as he leaned in closer, his nose barely inches away from Roxas's.

"W-what do you mean?" Roxas gulped, only barely relaxing his stance.

"It's okay to be scared. You'd be an idiot not to be."

"I-I'm not scared. You're the idiot," the blonde insisted as he thrust his palms into Riku's chest in a half-hearted attempt to shove him away. He hated being cornered like this. He decided he'd rather have Riku punch him and get it over with. But even with a shove, Riku held firm and Roxas felt his hands shake. "I'm not scared..." he said again, his voice quivering.

Riku continued to say nothing as he felt Roxas's body begin to quake and as fists clenched into the front of his robe. Roxas was like Sora in many ways, but he also wasn't.

Roxas suddenly inhaled sharply and looked up at Riku dead in the eyes while clutching the man's robe, "I don't want to feel that pain ever again."

Riku's eyes widened slightly but he kept silent as he let the other hiss at him through clenched teeth.

"That pain of loneliness...suffering. I don't want to feel it from him OR YOU ever again! Do you understand me?" he demanded.

"Roxas..."

"You promise me. You stay with him. Promise me!" the blonde hissed as he yanked Riku down to look him dead in the eyes, his own face still very red.

Riku breathed a sigh and gently pried Roxas's fingers off of his coat, the teen's hands yielding to the tender motions easily. "I promise," the silverette smiled softly. "You have my word."

"Okay," Roxas huffed and turned his face bashfully to the side but he still made no attempt to get out from between the tree and Riku's body. "Are we done here?"

"Yeah, we're done," Riku smirked and started walking back. "By the way..." he turned his head to grin at the blonde behind him. "Red's a good look on you."

The blonde's jaw dropped and he turned as red as a tomato before clenching both fists and stomping after Riku who picked up the pace so that Roxas wouldn't be able to catch up before they returned to the group. As Roxas got back in formation, he tightened the drawstrings on his hood so nobody could see his face as they proceeded their march.

"Everything okay?" Sora whispered to Riku who had already dug into his pocket for his phone.

"Yeah," Riku assured him as he quickly tapped the screen. "Everything's great."

Roxas felt his own phone vibrate in his pocket and pulled it out to check.

Riku: What's black and white and red all over? ^_~

"Urgh..." Roxas growled quietly and stuffed his phone back into his pocket but as he glanced over to see Riku smiling at him in the dark, he couldn't help smiling back.


	52. What Goes Up, Must Come Down

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The march towards the mysterious tower begins.

As Tron predicted, the terrain before them seemed to have changed by the time they had reached it. All around them the air was filled with some sort of strange metallic particles and instead of more woods like Sora expected there were many worn cobblestone paths going in three different directions, each leading to what appeared to be a dry savannah, a land of ice, or a lush, tropical garden. Unfortunately, the path their party needed to take was winding going through the savannah as it was the only path that lay straight ahead.

Sora caught one of the particles in midair and it glittered in his hand like...silver craft glitter, but if glitter could suddenly crumble into an even finer powder. "Does this worry anybody else?" he wondered aloud just barely loud enough for the headset to pick up what he was asking.

Kairi was the one who answered to his right, "We can't be distracted by the dirt, can we?"

"I guess not," Sora nodded, brushing the stuff on the front of his coat as they continued forward. "Kairi?" he whispered.

"Yeah, Sora?" the hooded redhead turned her head to smile at him.

"Just...I remembered I forgot to give you your good luck charm back," he grinned sheepishly and reached out for her hand before she could say anything. "I'll give it back to you when this is all over."

Kairi smiled and squeezed his hand back. "I know you will."

"And...I'm sorry," Sora added softly.

"For what?" Kairi tilted her head.

"For not talking to you as much as I should have. You've been through just as much as I had and I wasn't there for you."

"Sora..."

"So I know it's a little late, but when we all go home, let's all hang out as much as we can, the three of us, and catch up properly," Sora grinned as he grabbed Riku's hand too.

"Hm, that's right. You owe us a pizza party," Kairi snickered.

"I do?" Sora blinked as Riku chuckled beside him.

"Hehe, yeah. We decided on your behalf," Riku confirmed.

"Oh. Okay," the brunette grinned. "And also...I know I never thanked you for what you've done for me. What all of you have done. So...thank you."

"Don't start getting all sappy on us now," Axel quietly joked through their headsets.

Everybody chuckled as softly as they could while covering their mouths to reduce their noise and Sora was left grinning widely. "You guys are the best."

"Cut the chatter and keep your guard up," Terra urged.

"Aw, lighten up, Terra," Ven groaned.

_CRASH! BANG!_

"Whoa, easy there, little dude," Demyx awoke from his place on the couch next to the cell keeping his new "friend" contained. Somehow he'd been roped into babysitting but he didn't mind too much. Though cranky, his charge seemed to be a good listener. "What, is the big meanie in here?" he yawned as he glanced around the otherwise empty room.

The figure cloaked in darkness continued to ram its body into the walls of the cell, its eyes catching the light of the rising sun through the opposite window as it charged for the bars of its cell.

"It senses them," Xigbar explained as he entered the room catching the glare of the captive creature as it shook its bars. The rat-tailed man ignored the look momentarily to look at Demyx. "Your audience has arrived."

"Sweet!" Demyx hopped up from the couch. "Leave it to me. I'll get ready." He turned to give a mock salute towards the cell. "Catch you later, little man," he waved before grabbing his sitar and taking his leave.

As soon as the blonde musician left, it only took one look at Xigbar for the creature to freak out again, banging and making noise while reaching its hands through the bars at its captor.

"Hey, cut it out!" the sniper yelled, aiming a kick at the bars. When a hand threatened to swipe at his leg, he lost patience and retreated only to summon his weapon and aim it at the cell. "That's enough!"

Glinting eyes continued to stare holes through him, but the creature halted its movements, emitting low growls. Xigbar thought that settled the matter and lowered his weapon, but much to his surprise, the creature reverted to its original form, nothing but flying dark crystals, and slipped easily past the bars of the cage, threatening to regroup again.

"Not. Another. Step!" the man warned, aiming his weapon again. "Do you forget the reason you're even here? If it weren't for me, your sorry ass wouldn't even exist. Now get back in your cage and wait. You'll get your chance soon enough."

The dark crystal creature stilled and growled louder but retreated back behind the bars as it was told, not once breaking its glare.

"And stop looking at me like that!" Xigbar shouted, aiming a shot at the creature's huge feet and making it cry out as it dodged. "You really are all the same!" he huffed as he dismissed his weapon and rubbed his left hand. For some reason, pulling the trigger made his well-trained index finger cramp up. Annoyed, wondering if the new glove he was wearing just hadn't been broken in enough yet, he pulled it off and flexed his hand only to see the scratch he received a couple of days ago from his ward had turned an ugly shade of black and seemed to have spread to his knuckles. "Great," he huffed. "Like I don't got enough problems to deal with."

Sora suddenly felt this sharp pinprick in his heart and stopped in his tracks. There was something else too, something that made his blood run hot, like he was angry. He blinked several times as he tried to figure out the source. They were all a little on edge as they hadn't seen any enemies yet and the clock tower they were walking towards just kept seeming to be the same distance away even though they've walked for about 15 minutes already. The sun was already coming up and now they were out in the open in this savannah without any cover. Though they were growing impatient and tense, there was nothing even bordering on anger like what he felt now. He could feel Riku looking at him as he faltered but he couldn't bring himself to take another step. His heart was trying to warn him. He needed to listen.

When Riku stopped too, the entire group halted their progress and turned to look towards Sora, all asking the same silent question. Sora took a slow breath and let it out before turning to look at Kairi, "Kairi...about what Xigbar stole..." he began to ask gently, knowing it might be a sore subject.

Riku's eyes narrowed with understanding and looked at Kairi too. When she didn't answer right away, he asked the question again for Sora. "The crystal heart. Is there anything about it we should know?"

"Even studied it for that short while that we had all the pieces," the redhead answered cautiously, "He said there was evidence to suggest that it may have a mind of its own, based on the fact that it kept forming itself into the shape of a heart. If it does, as a being of darkness it will be difficult to deal with, since the crystals individually are very dangerous. But it's also likely to be very fragile."

Sora looked worriedly to Riku who frowned in response. "It's going to be okay. As long as those crystals don't touch anybody, we should all be safe."

"Well that's a tall order," Axel added snidely. "A bunch of itty bitty rocks with a mind of their own?"

"Don't worry, Axel. If you can't block, just dodge," Roxas snickered.

"Easy for you to say. You and Xion are much smaller targets," the elder redhead jabbed.

"Enough. We need to keep moving before the terrain changes again," Aqua reminded them sternly and they all started walking again. But once again, Sora didn't move.

"Sora?" Kairi asked softly.

He could feel it. Something was coming. Then he heard it. A familiar, distant sound. "EVERYBODY GET DOWN!" Sora shouted and immediately the shield group burst into action, putting up a barrier spell just as a barrage of lasers suddenly came from seemingly out of nowhere, kicking up brown and silver dust clouds as the barriers of light held up and reflected the onslaught while Riku put up an extra darkness barrier around himself, Sora, and Kairi in the center of all the chaos, just in case.

When the dust cloud finally cleared, the group found themselves surrounded by gigantic heartless and nobodies in all sorts of fearsome shapes and forms that they've never seen before, the biggest easily being at least 20 feet tall. Riku whipped his head around in shock. Something wasn't right. He could smell heartless in the area, but nothing this gigantic. In fact, he STILL doesn't smell anything that would indicate heartless of this size. Sora looked down at his chest plate and it only just now started to glow beneath his black cloak. But it didn't matter, the heartless weren't his concern.

"WHERE ARE YOU, XIGBAR?" he shouted angrily.

"Oooh, all tough now that you have your little army with you, aren't ya?" Xigbar cackled from somewhere behind them.

Sora turned around while others kept formation, but nobody could see where he was amongst all the giant heartless. The savannah was wide open, so he must be using the mob as cover.

"Offense, GO!" Terra shouted.

"RIGHT!" the offensive team shouted while defense lowered their shield and started casting buffs.

"Cover me, Riku!" Sora shouted!

"You got it!" the silverette responded, using his shotlock to barrel at all surrounding enemeies while Sora stood in the center with his hand over his heart.

"AS ONE!" Sora shouted as he summoned Ariel, the two dancing in a whirlwind of water and music, diving in and out of the mobs in a circle around the offensive team, breaking up the coordinated numbers to disperse and thin them out so somebody could spot the real target amidst the mess.

"THERE!" Roxas shouted as he lunged for a familiar figure in the black robe, both Oathkeeper and Oblivion making contact with Xigbar's weapon.

"Roxas! Have you been a good little boy?" the one-eyed man sneered as he whipped around to aim a kick to shove Roxas back, but the blonde used reversal to come behind him.

"TOO SLOW!" Roxas shouted as he made to lunge again, one keyblade after the other.

"HA! AS IF!" Xigbar cackled as he disappeared in another darkness portal.

"XION! BEHIND YOU!" Roxas shouted.

"RAAAAAAAA!!!" Xion cried out, summoning large pillars of light and dashing all over the place, sending them in all directions as she was unable to see Xigbar herself, but as long as she kept both herself and the target moving, she had a good chance.

"DONALD, GOOFY!" Mickey shouted!

The three musketeers gathered and used Trinity Shield, bashing through the surrounding heartless in a complete circle while Donald cast many lightning and meteor blasts to coincide with the King's bubbles of light that bounced every which way.

The Wayfinder Trio were combining their own attacks, waves of ice, earth, and wind bursting forth from their keyblades, finally ditching their coats and donning their armor to use their keyblade vehicles to mow down the mobs.

Soon, all of them were ditching their robes as they got more and more covered in silvery dust, except for the sea salt team who were used to fighting in such garb to begin with. This made it easier to coordinate with their team members visually as Xigbar was still appearing and disappearing amidst the chaos.

"HEADS UP!" his slimy voice rang through the chaos.

"REGROUP!" Aqua shouted and they gathered in the center again for the defense team to put up the barriers again.

"WHERE'S SORA?!" Kairi shouted, realizing he hadn't rejoined the group.

"SORA!" Riku shouted as he squinted through the swirling dust.

"UP HERE!" Sora shouted from above, finishing his summon with Ariel and landing smack in the middle of the group again. "Everybody okay?" he asked while Donald cast a Curaga spell on the entire group.

"Besides not being able to see anything?" Roxas asked while the defense group's shields held up against another barrage of red lasers.

Sora held up his defensive stance while he recovered his MP. "Something's not right here!"

"I agree. These heartless are falling too easily," Isa stated while nodding at Axel, who agreed with him.

"Yeah, I mean we're tough, but these guys are crumbling like...like..." Ven added.

"Like dust!" Xion finished for him.

"We need to clear the way!" Mickey suggested. "Once the shields lower, everybody cast Aeroga! Let's clear this dust bowl!"

"RIGHT!"

"NOW!" Aqua called out to the defensive team.

"BREAK!" Kairi, Xion, Mickey, and Goofy shouted, lowering the barrier so those who can cast the spell could have a clear shot.

"I CALL WINDS!" Sora shouted as he, Donald, and Ven cast Aeroga and summoned a giant cyclone to blow away the dust cloud but what they didn't expect was what it did to the heartless, who all seemed to shrink considerably as large metallic flakes and dust were blown off their bodies.

"It's an illusion!" Xion shouted in exasperation!

Sora jumped up and caught one of the large flakes in his hand and it reflected light like a mirror in one direction but black in another before crumbling into glitter in his hand. "It's the same stuff the grass was made of!" he observed out loud.

Once the dust cleared, they were shocked to see that the heartless were very small shadows and neoshadows and the nobodies were nothing but dusks.

"ARE YOU KIDDING ME!?" Axel shouted in frustration, having expended so much energy keeping up with Isa during their combined fire and berserk attacks.

"Don't lose focus!" Terra shouted over his shoulder.

Sora felt his breath catch in his threat. "That's right! Don't forget what demon tides are made of!" he shouted.

"Keep your guard up!" Aqua commanded as they regrouped.

"You need to get moving!" Tron instructed through their headsets. "You only have three minutes until the terrain changes and then the tower will move along with it!"

"We won't be able to make it in time!" Xion shouted.

Sora whipped around, looking for Xigbar but now there were way too many heartless to see through. "We can still make it! Riku!"

The other teen caught on quickly to what Sora had in mind. "Right! Everybody stay close!"

Sora spun his keyblade in his hands and tossed it into the air, catching it again as thousands of tiny lights surrounded the party. With a bright flash of light, he summoned his Mountain Coaster into existence with enough seats in the mine carts for everybody. "HOP ON!" he called out and everybody quickly jumped in as he rode on top of the caboose, the entire train shoving through the mobs one a track made of light, sending them barreling out of their way as they made a clear path for the clock tower. "Everybody hang on!"

Sora pushed the train as hard as it could go, steam whistling all around him and sparks sending bursts of explosions at the heartless that dared to pursue them. They were so close to the tower! Just a little further!

_Ven! It's them. They're here!_ Ven's eyes widened as Chirithy's voice rang through his ears. A stabbing pain of realization tore through his heart and he clutched his head over his helmet. He had to warn them! "EVERYBODY, SHIELDS!" he shouted.

It took everybody an extra split second of surprise before the defense group complied but Sora was on the front of the train and out of reach of their barriers, which Riku realized with only a second to spare, hopping from the second car to cast a dark barrier around him and the brunette just as four beams of light shot up at them from somewhere down below, shattering their barriers and obliterating the coaster, sending the teams flying in different directions just as the terrain changed and swallowed them up. As they fell toward the ground, the land completely rearranged and reformed as the clock tower disappeared from sight.


	53. United We Stand, Divided We...

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The teams are left scattered in unknown territory. One by one, their attackers make their presence known.

"NO! NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!! TERRA! AQUA!" Ven cried and screamed, clutching his head as he looked at the unconscious bodies of his friends. He barely had the sensibility to cast a desperate curaga spell before he ripped off his helmet and crawled over to each of them. "Please, wake up. Please!"

The two were stirring, much to his relief, but just watching them struggle to open their eyes and move while they clutched their keyblades triggered something buried down really deep and it was now clawing at his heart, desperately ripping and shredding his mind like a monster trying to pry its way out of his head. "AAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!!!!" he screamed, clutching his head again, gripping and tugging at his own hair as he shook his head rapidly in an attempt to stop the visions that were beginning to flood his mind.

"VEN!" Aqua regained full consciousness first as Ven's screams finally reached her ears and she shot right up. "HEAL!" she cried out, the second spell waking up Terra this time and together they attended their distraught friend.

"Ven, what is it!? Are you hurt?" Terra clutched Ven's shoulders while Aqua put her hands over Ven's in an effort to calm him.

"We gotta get out of here! We gotta find the others!" Ven cried, finally releasing his own head and shoving his hands into the dirt to get himself off the ground. "We gotta go!"

"Wait, slow down!" Aqua tried to again to calm him. "We just need to ask Naminé to track Sora and we'll catch up. Take a minute to breathe. We planned for this, remember?"

"No, you don't understand!" the blonde cried. "We need to go NOW!"

"Ventus, is that you?" a male's voice called out from the lush greenery of the thick jungle that surrounded them.

"Who are you? How do you know Ven?" Terra demanded as he took a protective stance in front of his friend.

A young man dressed in beige, yellow, and grey robes wearing a leopard mask came out into the open before them. He's armed with a large and fierce-looking keyblade that resembled a cluster of lightning bolts.

"Master Gula..." the blonde growled and swallowed hard as he grit his teeth. With trembling fists he summoned his keyblade and stepped in front of Aqua and Terra. 

"Did you just say Master?" Aqua asked. She and Terra looked to Ven's back with confusion and astonishment. Then both of them stepped forward to stand by Ven's side, unwilling to let Ven face this person alone.

"It really is you. To think I'd see someone from my Union in a time like this!" the foreteller gasped.

"STAY AWAY!" Ven warned.

"Stand down, Ventus! There's important work to be done. I can't let you interfere with the Master's plan. But if you and your friends step aside, you can live to see the brand new world the Master will create!" he offered.

"YEAH RIGHT! You think anything that guy comes up with will be good? Or that I'd even trust you? I saw what you did! There's as much blood on your hands as the others! YOU STOOD BY AND WATCHED AS THEY SLAUGHTERED EACH OTHER! I'M NOT LETTING YOU HURT MY FRIENDS, TOO!" Ven roared as he ran forward to clash keyblades with his former union leader. "BACK OFF!"

"VEN!" Aqua and Terra cried out, hurrying to their friend's aid and the four keyblades clashed!

* * *

"Donald! Goofy!" Mickey's voice called out in the middle of a heavily wooded area, dense with trees and bushes with the sounds of thousands of birds tweeting and squawking in his ears.

"YER MAJESHTY!!" Donald called from above him, flailing as he tried to disentangle himself from the branches he found himself caught in.

"Dun worry, I gotcha, Donald!" Goofy soon came out of the brush, hands wide open to catch the court magician as he finally loosened himself and landed on him, the two falling into a giant heap on the forest floor.

"Phew! Glad to see you two are okay! Haha!" Mickey chortled as he cast a healing spell to take the edge off the blow that they no doubt all sustained from the earlier attack.

"You're a strange group, aren't you?" a soft voice asked.

The three immediately straightened up and took a defensive stance, each guarding each other's backs.

"Who's there?" Mickey asked.

"I've seen you before," the female said mysteriously as she came out of the shadows. "You've wandered into Daybreak Town long ago."

The King studied the woman, her features hidden by a white hood over a pale lavender robe. Upon her face she had blue and silver mask reminiscent of a serpant. "I've never seen you!"

"I am called Master Invi. And you are trespassing," she said simply as she summoned a silver and black keyblade adorned with vines and leaves with a cobra on the handle.

"A keyblade!" the three gasped.

Mickey summoned his own keyblade, "Step aside! Our fight is with the Master of Masters."

"I can't allow that. To interfere with the Master is to interfere with the dawn of a new age. You will be eliminated," she said calmly as she took her stance.

"Then you leave us no choice! Let's go!" Mickey called out ot his companions as they charged their new adversary.

* * *

"Roxas! Open your eyes!" Axel demanded as he shook the blonde teen draped over his lap. He already dumped a couple of potions onto the teen but so far he hasn't stirred. "Come on, man. You gonna let a hit like that take you out of commission?"

"Nnn..." Roxas groaned as he looked up at the red-head. The other may have been teasing him, but his face was clearly wrought with worry. "Get real," he grimaced in response, sitting up properly while rubbing the side of his head. "What hit us? Wait, where's--!"

"Over here," Isa called out calmly as he returned to the other two with Xion cradled in his arms. "I found her just over there." The four appeared to be in the middle of a large, grassy field dotted with large boulders. Apparently Xion had landed behind one of said boulders not ten yards away. It was apparently by the way Isa was handling her that he was concerned she might've struck the rocks on the way down and wanted to take extra precaution after he healed her.

"I told you. I can walk, Isa," Xion grumbled, her cheeks pink with mild embarrassment.

"Just take it easy for a minute," the blue-haired man instructed. "You took a heavy hit when you shielded us. You need more time to recover."

"Xion!" Roxas ran over. "That was an awesome save!" He recalled how Ven called out for shields and Xion was on the ball with a large barrier to protect the four of them before they were impacted and sent flying into next week. If not for her quick reflexes, they all would've been sitting ducks for sure.

"Yeah, you saved all our butts!" Axel praised, walking over to rest a hand on Xion's shoulder. "You did good."

"I'm just glad you're all alright," Xion smiled happily as tears of relief stung the corners of her eyes. It really did feel like a close call. "Where are the others?"

"Have you heard anything, Axel?" Isa asked.

The man shook his head. "Nada. There's nothing but static coming out of the headsets."

"Then there must be some sort of interference," Isa concluded.

"We need to get moving. Sora and the others could be in danger!" Roxas growled impatiently.

"Whoa, now, hold your horses! We can't just go wandering out there without a plan," Axel urged him to calm down.

"Sora was right. There should never be a plan," Roxas huffed as he crossed his arms.

"What works for Sora doesn't necessarily work for everyone," Isa stated patiently.

"You trying to say it's his fault this happened?" Roxas growled.

"No, I think it's theirs!" Xion interrupted, pointing over Roxas's shoulder as two tall men in masks approached them. One wore sandy robes and a hood with a bear mask obscuring his face. The other wore white over pale blue robes with a very intricate unicorn mask complete with a flowing turquoise mane that draped over and the back of his hood.

Isa quickly let Xion down and the four of them summoned their weapons.

The one in the unicorn mask looked at the two youngest keyblade wielders and couldn't help smiling. "They remind me of the others," he reminisced quietly.

"Now's not the time for nostalgia, Ira," the one in the bear mask growled as he summoned his keyblade, a large and hefty brown and cream-colored weapon with the end of the blade resembling the jagged silhouette of a snarling creature or a giant claw.

"I suppose you're right, Aced," the man in the unicorn mask sighed as he summoned his keyblade next. It was mostly silver adorned crystal-like spikes with the end resembling a black half moon with silver spikes jutting from it or a black bow armed with silver arrows.

"Are you two with Bob?" Roxas asked as he held Oathkeeper and Oblivion at the ready.

"Bob? We don't know a Bob," Master Aced answered, a little startled at the question.

"The Master of Masters!" Isa corrected.

"What is your business with our Master?" Master Ira asked.

"He hurt our friend!" Xion yelled.

"And we know he's up to no good!" Roxas shouted.

"So step aside!" Axel warned.

"Your insolence will not be tolerated!" Master Aced warned. "If you do not stand down, you will be eliminated!"

"HA, JUST TRY IT!" the blonde goaded as he whipped his keyblades around.

"Do you not understand who you are dealing with, boy? You're standing in the presence of two masters," Master Ira warned.

"I couldn't care less!" the teen retorted, which earned an amused smirk from Isa.

"Your confidence will be your downfall!" Master Aced shouted as he charged forward with his keyblade.

"Maybe, but not today!" Axel cackled as he met him head-on!

* * *

"Riku! Please. Riku!" Sora cried as he cradled the elder teen's head in his lap. "Please wake up!"

"Sora..." Kairi whispered gently as she hugged Sora's shoulders from behind. "He's going to be okay. Just let him rest."

"It's all my fault," the brunette cried as Kairi held him tighter. "He's hurt because of me."

"You did nothing wrong," the redhead assured him and moved to kneel in front of him and look him in the eyes. "You did the best you could. It was a really good idea. It just didn't work out this time."

"Even so. I feel like I ruined everything," Sora sniffed as he wiped his nose on the back of his gauntlet. "This is why there's never a plan. I always mess it up otherwise," he laughed bitterly through his tears as his shoulders shook with disappointment in himself.

"Stop it, Sora!" Kairi demanded. "Riku wouldn't want you to say that! He believes in you. We all do. That's why we followed you. You haven't disappointed us. We were all trapped back there and we knew it." Her face then softened and she grabbed a handkerchief to blot at Sora's tears and wipe the dirt off his face. "Everybody's okay. I just know it. You haven't let us down. As soon as Riku wakes up, we'll keep moving."

"Kairi..." Sora smiled gratefully at his friend.

The redhead nodded. "It's going to be okay."

The brunette looked back down at the sleeping master in his lap and ran his fingers through his soft, silver hair. "You're sure he's not hurt?"

"I'm positive," Kairi smiled. "We both healed him, right? I'm sure he just got knocked out by the recoil when his shield protected us both."

"Or the long fall," Sora chuckled softly.

"Or that," Kairi giggled. "We don't all have hard heads like you."

"Hey!" Sora laughed.

The redhead giggled too before standing up and looking around. "Sora, look!" she pointed towards the edge of the wood. They were within yards of the Clock Tower!

"Whoa!" Sora looked up. "It's huge!" he gasped. "He could be hiding anywhere in there!"

"If our friends were here to help, it would be no problem. But it looks like we're on our own for now. We'll have to infiltrate by ourselves and have Naminé direct them to us. It shouldn't be a problem since they all have portals of darkness."

Sora winced and clutched his chest. "Yeah but...I can't even get a hold of Naminé or Tron. How do we know the others aren't the same way?"

"Well, we could always--What's wrong?" she turned her attention back to Sora to see he was clearly in pain. "Are you hurt?"

"It's...I think it's Ven. I think our friends are in trouble! We have to get moving!"

"But Sora--!"

"Help me!" Sora instructed as he knelt and started lifting Riku onto his shoulders.

Before she could even tell Sora otherwise, he already had the unconscious teen on his shoulders so she hurried over to help him stand and adjust so that he could carry him piggy back. "You're going to carry him the whole way!?"

"He's not that heavy!" Sora grinned. "Besides, he's carried me for this long. It's about time I returned the favor." He smiled affectionately as Riku's head rested over his shoulder.

Kairi couldn't help giggling. "You're such a sap, Sora."

"I know," he laughed. "Let's go!"

"Right!"

* * *

"Are the preparations ready?"

"Yes, all is going according to plan, Master," Xigbar confirmed as he stood before the cloaked man with a pleased smirk.

"Good. Now bring our little friend down."

"Do we even have to use it at all?" Xigbar growled. "It won't listen to a word I say. It'll just get in the way."

"Ah-ah! Patience, now. Besides, we need him. He's going to fight Riku while you take care of the girl. And I'll deal with Sora myself."

The sniper's amber eye widened with amusement. "Really?" he cackled. "That's almost too cruel." He grinned darkly. "I love it."


	54. Stand them Up, Knock them Down

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A mysterious apparition helps the trio find their way.

Though it felt like the Destiny Trio were close to the looming clock tower, the moment they entered the surrounding wood, a thick fog surrounded them and it was as if day had turned into night. Just as they thought they had made it, Kairi had to yank Sora's arm to keep him and Riku from going over the edge of a ravine that was right in front of them.

"Whoo, nice save, Kairi!" Sora breathed a sigh of relief as he quickly adjusted so he didn't drop Riku. The teen was still very limp as he slept on Sora's back, completely unaware of the danger he was just in.

"How are we going to find another way around in time? Surely you can't make the jump with Riku on your back?" Kairi pointed out.

"Well..." Sora opened his mouth to say something but closed it and sighed as he nuzzled Riku's cheek affectionately. She's right. There was no way he could do that. It was awkward enough carrying the larger teen on his back as it was. "Maybe I could throw him and you could catch?"

"HA! No way! He'd flatten me!" Kairi laughed.

"I bet you could do it!" Sora laughed.

"Very funny. Let's get moving before it's too late."

"Wait..." Sora's eyes widened and he looked both ways. He could hear a voice.

"What is it?"

"Shhh..." he put a hand up to his ear. It sounded like a young girl laughing. "This way!" he whispered and headed to the right.

"Sora, what--?"

"Just follow me!" he instructed, very sure of himself as he picked up the pace. _Where are you?_

"Sora, slow down! The fog is too thick! You'll trip!" Kairi warned as she did her best to keep up with him.

"Just grab my hand," Sora offered, grabbing her hand so he could guide them through the thick mist while he jogged up front. "Stay close."

Soon the sound of a babbling brook reached Kairi's ears. Sora had led them to what appeared to be a lush tropical garden teeming with tall orange and red flowers she's never seen before. Here, the mist wasn't as dense and the two could make out a small pond with stepping stones leading the way across.

Sora didn't notice the flowers. His eyes were fixated on a short figure dressed in a white cloak beckoning them across, to which he nodded silently. He wasn't sure why, but he had a feeling he could trust this apparition. "Let's go, Kairi."

"How do you know this is the way?" Kairi held his hand firmly, preventing him from going forward.

"Just trust me on this," Sora smiled back, giving her hand a small insistent tug before she complied. Together, they carefully traversed the stepping stones and arrived at the other side. When they reached their destination, the way before them seemed to be devoid of fog and there was a clear path to the clock tower, but the figure in white was nowhere to be seen. Sora turned around, wishing to thank their mysterious guide only to see them on the other side of the pond, smiling at them as long orange hair spilled down the front of her robe. "Thank you," he whispered and the cloaked maiden merely nodded before the entire garden disappeared in thing cloud of fog behind them.

The change in landscape behind them startled Kairi and now she was the one tugging on Sora's hand. "This place is giving me the creeps. We need to get moving."

"Right!" Sora grinned and released her hand so he could adjust his grip on Riku and follow behind her. The tower is straight ahead!

_Sora...?_

Everything was dark. Riku was trying so hard to open his eyes. He could feel warm hands caressing his face. _Sora? I can't see you._ When something did reach his vision, it was a familiar sparkling figure; the Sora of his dreams. "Sora?"

The starlight dream version of Sora just smiled and pressed a chaste kiss to Riku's forehead before placing both of his hands on Riku's chest over his heart, his eyes looking deep into Riku's as if trying to convey something important.

"I can't stay. Sora needs me," Riku tried to explain. He didn't have all day to figure out what his dream was trying to tell him.

The other Sora nodded enthusiastically and smiled widely as if Riku got it right, keeping his hands pressed over Riku's heart.

"Is there something else?" Riku asked.

The sparkling figure shook his head, just smiled up at him brightly while the darkness became lit with bright light all around them. Before Riku woke up, he saw the other's lips move to form one syllable.

_Wait..._

Now everything felt warm and his body kept jostling gently. _Am I being carried?_ He must be. He could smell Sora's scent all around him, further tempting him to keep his eyes closed for a little while longer.

"I hope he wakes up soon."

_Kairi..._

"Think you can carry him while I do all the fighting?" Sora snickered.

"Nobody has to carry anybody," Riku groaned, finally stirring. "I can walk."

"Riku!" Sora exclaimed happily as he straightened up to let Riku stand.

Kairi hurried over to make sure he was steady by bracing her hand on his shoulder. "Are you okay? Do you need to rest?"

Riku shook his head. "I'm okay, really." The teen waved her off gently as he stretched out his limbs and made sure everything was in working order. He looked up to see they were within feet of a large wooden door. They've made it to the clock tower?? "So this is it, huh? Where are the others?"

Sora explained what had happened and that they haven't had any radio contact. "My heart tells me the others are in trouble," he added. "I can feel Ven's somewhere nearby."

"Maybe they're holding off whatever attacked us," Kairi hoped. "I'm worried about them too, but we need to keep moving."

"Right," Riku nodded. "Let's go."

The three shoved the heavy wooden doors open to find themselves in the middle of a very large open space that immediately reminded Riku of the halls in Castle Oblivion. Everything was white and too shiny. But above their heads, it was a completely different story. They could see straight to the top of the enormous building and could hear thousands of gears clicking and ticking away as the large clock passed the seconds, the dark winding staircases and aged gears a stark contrast to the floor they were currently on.

"Why does this feel familiar?" Sora asked as he summoned his Ultima keyblade.

"Let's not get distracted," Riku advised as he summoned Braveheart.

"Right!" Kairi agreed, following suit with Destiny's Embrace.

Suddenly the heavy wooden doors behind them slammed shut, startling the trio to look behind them. When they faced forward again, they were greeted with the presence of a dark figure.

"No...It can't be!" Riku gasped.

Sora's jaw nearly hit the floor and Kairi's hand flew over her mouth. Standing before them was Sora...but also not Sora.

"It's the crystals!" Kairi cried out knowingly.

The figure before them looked like a black crystalized version of Sora that glowed purple when light shined through its form, almost like a Sora carved from glass or purple garnet. But as it stood before them, its presence pulsed, disappearing briefly to show all of the crystals hovering on their own before forming a solid shape again. To Riku, it reminded him a lot of the Sora made of stars in his dreams, the striking similarity giving him a deep sinking feeling of dread in his stomach. But to all three of them, it radiated an energy of pain, misery, and fear.

Sora's chest felt heavy. It was suddenly getting really hard to breathe. He wanted to get as far away from the creature as possible. He instinctively took a step back and suddenly there was a clash of rock on metal as Riku stood in front of him, protecting him from a sudden attack by the Dark Crystal Sora.

"Riku!" Sora called out.

"RUN!" Riku shouted as he pushed back the crystal doppelganger. "You and Kairi go!"

"WE'RE NOT LEAVING WITHOUT YOU!" Kairi shouted as she shot balls of light from her keyblade at the creature, causing it to howl in pain as it backed away.

"Guys!" Sora shouted as the ground began to rumble beneath them. Suddenly giant mirrors shot out of the ground, slicing in between them and separating them from each other! "RIKU! KAIRI!" Sora shouted as he attempted to run up the glassy surface to return to his friends, but it soon buckled over, fully encasing him in his own prison of mirrors with way no out. "RIKU!!!!" Sora shouted as he charged at the walls with his keyblade, attempting to shatter the reflective barriers but his attacks merely bounced off. There was nothing he could do to penetrate them! Outside the walls he could hear an unearthly racket, as if everything beyond the barrier was rearranging itself. He could feel himself getting further and further from his friends! "NO!" he screamed as he pounded at the walls. "NOOO!!!"

"It's just you and me now, Sora," the Master of Masters called out smugly from behind the brunette, making the teen's blood run ice cold as he saw the hooded figure's reflection.

* * *

"SORA! KAIRI!" 

Riku attempted to reach for his friends as they were suddenly separated by giant reflective barriers but he was also fighting off Sora's doppelganger. Before he knew it, he was also encased in his own mirror arena while facing the former source of Sora's pain head-on in combat.

The Dark Crystal Sora's movements were lightning fast and unpredictable, using clawed fingers to slash at Riku at every given opportunity. For every attack Riku dealt back, it simply unsolidified and threatened to attack Riku again with the shards that made up its body.

"I don't have time for this!" Riku roared in frustration as he blocked several more attacks. For a brief moment, the creature hesitated but then began multiplying, now attacking Riku from six different directions. He really had his hands full now! It felt like all he could do was dodge and block, the crystals taking advantage of his waning stamina with their clawed hands getting closer and closer to his body each time. "ENOUGH!"

* * *

"RIKU! SORA!" Kairi called out, also enclosed in her own prison of high, reflective walls. The only difference being is that she could actually see the original winding ceiling that led to the top of the clock tower.

"Forget them! You have your own problems to worry about, Princess!" Xigbar cackled from the rafters above.

"YOU!" Kairi whipped around to face Xigbar who sneered at her with his weapons poised and ready to go. "FINE! Let's finish this!" she shouted.

"My thoughts exactly!"


	55. Lose, Soon Have Nothing To

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sora and the Master of Masters face off. But will it be for the last time?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I promised music prompts back in the earlier chapters and I meant it. To get some more OOMF out of this chapter, please click the following link to this cover of Dearly Beloved when Demyx arrives on scene.
> 
> [Dearly Beloved](https://youtu.be/YKhxI6EbTls)

"What's the matter? Afraid to fight without your boyfriend?"

Sora lifted his hands from the cold, unyielding mirror wall and took a breath before turning around to face the hooded man. "I could ask you the same question. Can you even fight with that thing without your lackey wearing me out first?" he smirked, remembering the fireball he shot into the man's face back in The Land of Dragons.

"HAHA! You might have a point there. You got me good last time," he chuckled but then his voice got dark as he put a hand up to his face, presumably to trace over where Sora burned him. "I might be a little rusty. But I have all the time in the world to make sure I do it right. After all, Sora, time is but a construct."

Sora took a cautious step towards the center of the open space, his eyes trained on the other as he kept a grip on his keyblade. A bead of cold sweat fell down the back of his neck, but he kept his face as neutral as possible. He couldn't let this guy get in his head. "Then why is there never enough of it? And why is everybody always in such a hurry?" he asked, allowing a little frustration to show in his voice.

"I've waited hundreds of years for this. I've been more than patient," the Master of Masters sighed as he fiddled with the keychain on his weapon, not even bothering to keep eye contact with Sora, as far as the brunette could tell.

_Just keep him talking. They all like to talk._ "That long, huh? I guess that would make you more patient than Xehanort. Then again, you're not like Xehanort, are you? You aren't limited to your own lifetime."

"Oh, now you mean to tell me you're curious?" he looked up.

"Like you said, we got time," Sora said calmly. "You've waited this long, right?"

"Yeeeeah, I guess, but I'm more of what you might call a multi-tasker, you know? If I don't keep my hands busy while I talk, I get really antsy. So how about we walk and talk?" he asked while he spun his keyblade around on one finger.

Sora swallowed and readied his stance. Time was up. "If you insist."

"Much obliged," the Master bowed before plunging No Name into the floor and summoning long black chains of darkness from the floor. "I trust you're familiar with these?"

The brunette's breath caught in his throat. These were the same chains that tied him up before and now they also remind him of the chains that his Oblivion keyblade uses. They're long and black, covered in barbs with spear heads at the ends, jangling menacingly as they hover in the air beside their wielder. "Afraid not."

The robed man chuckled. "You're a terrible liar, Sora. It doesn't matter how much you stall. You can't be saved. This really is the end of the line." He clasped his hands behind his back and shook his head as if out of pity. "They couldn't save you then. And they can't save you now."

"Save me from what?"

"Yourself!" he shouted as the chains sprung for Sora!

"What!?" the brunette shouted back as he deflected one burred chain after another, making a run for it as he backflipped into the air and started running along the walls in an attempt to get them to chase him. He just had to keep running until he could figure out a way to shake them off. Maybe if he could come around fast enough he could aim a shot at the ends. He just needed to pick up the pace! He had to keep running! Once there was a large enough gap between him and the chains, blue light streamed behind him as he took the precious half second to airstep to the opposite wall and aim his keyblade at the roots of the chains, destroying the links with one well-aimed beam of light. But just when he thought he had gained headway, he turned to see small projectiles being thrown his way. He raised his keyblade to bring up a block barrier, only narrowly managing to avoid the objects as he heard them bounce off his light barrier. There was a clattering of more chains. They were after him again! He dodged, deflected, swiped at them as they came at him from different directions, like vipers striking at their prey and just as lightning fast!

"Sorry, Sora. Whether it be this timeline or the next, you're your own worst enemy. Sacrifice after sacrifice to protect the ones you love until there's nothing left. All that power gone completely to waste. But not this time. This time, I'm here to relieve you of that suffering. I'll take your power for my own and then after I get Riku's, your hearts will be together forever. Now doesn't that sound nice?"

_Can't let him rattle me!_ "I changed my mind, Bob. I don't want to hear you talk anymore."

"Wait, what? My name's not Robert! It's--"

"DON'T CARE!" Sora shouted as he hit the ground and charged for the Master, the tip of Ultima aimed for his chest as he put every bit of strength he had into his legs to propel him forward, chains hot on his tail.

"WHOO WHEE! Are you mad now? GOOD!" the Master cackled as he lazily stepped aside to dodge Sora's reckless attack.

"SHUT UP!" the keyblade wielder shouted, rolling into the opposite wall to bounce off of it again and aim another attack.

"Now you're the one in a hurry!" the other taunted as he swung his arm and shot more of the small dart-like projectiles at Sora, who only barely managed to shield himself once again, just as they were inches in front of his face. They looked like intricately carved spires...like the minute hands of a clock.

He rolled to the ground and jumped again to avoid the chains that continued their pursuit, the metal clanging loudly as the spearheads ricocheted on the glassy floor to chase after him. "ENOUGH!" he shouted as he found himself crouching in a corner and used his keyblade in an attempt to summon one of his dream attractions.

"We're not here to play, Sora!" the Master shouted impatiently and threw another round of darts at Sora while he attempted the summon, striking Sora in the side.

"AGH!!" Sora took a hit and clutched his side as the glittery attempt of his carousel summon disappeared around him. It didn't even hurt that much, but he felt strangely empty and as he attempted to make another run for it before the chains could catch up, a sharp pain stabbed through his head. "AAAAHHHH!!!!" he faltered and a chain wrapped around his ankle, pulling him down to the floor and slamming his body down hard enough to crack and splinter the mirror-like ground beneath him. He pulled himself up to one knee and held up his keyblade to defend himself with a barrier, his teeth clenching as visions flashed through his head. "Wh-what is this??"

_"You will vanish from this world."_

_"I have to go."_

Tall buildings, rain-drenched streets, the feeling of being watched. _What is this? I've never been here._ It's cold and uninhabited.

_"Why are you using Sora's name?"_

A dark sky full of stars with water at his feet. _Is this the Final World? That face...it can't be?_

_"Time to end this!"_ Everything's cold. So cold!

"AAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!!!!" Sora buckled down as he kept his keyblade steady, his barrier doing its best to hold up against the relentless chains while one kept his ankle tugged down, squeezing and squeezing as it threatened to break his leg. The visions in his head stopped, but all around him in the mirrors, images kept appearing. "WHAT IS THIS!?" he demanded.

"The other timelines. Gaze into the suffering you have caused with your recklessness!"

"You won't give up, Sora. I know you won't."

_Riku!_ He dared to look up at the walls again. There was Riku, defending him against the demon tide. "STOP IT! JUST STOP IT!!" he cried out as his arms began to weaken. Every strike made his wrists feel like jelly. His newly-healed bones ached just like last time, like they were threatening to break again.

"We've looked everywhere for Sora! And we haven't found a single clue!"

_No! If I hadn't come back...is this...? Is there another Riku out there still searching? Still waiting?_

"RIKU!" he cried out, his heart aching with frustration at his own inability to fight back and the fact that Bob was succeeding in getting inside his head. This emptiness he felt, too...it felt similar to that feeling he had after the Mark of Mastery exam. Something was missing. His eyes widened. His attraction magic was sealed away! Was it those darts? What would happen if he got hit again? This wasn't good. He was tied down, he needed his friends.

He took a deep breath to steady himself and tried to ignore Bob's taunts as metal clashed and clanged and dinged against his light barrier, ignoring the pain in his leg, stiffening his body against its painful tug. He needed to think. _Wait..._ He remembered the headset still taped to his ear. That's right. It doesn't work right now because the signal got scrambled. So there must be something interfering with it...a computer maybe? Some sort of signal? If Bob's attacks could seal up his abilities, he might only have one shot at this.

"GIVE ME STRENGTH!!" he called out, seemingly into the void, a bright light glowing from inside his pocket. "TRON!!"

In a burst of light and flying data, Tron appeared before him, armed and ready with an army of cubed nanobots. "RUNNING EXECUTABLES!" the program shouted, surrounding them with hundreds of the little things that bounced around and drilled away at the chain on Sora's leg until he was freed.

"TRON! We don't have much time! I need you to focus on getting the headsets working again!" Sora shouted over the din of the beeps and boops and screeching that echoed off the walls as the little data clusters chased the Master around the small enclosure.

"Right! REPROGRAMMING!" Tron nodded and sent a wave of the bots towards the ceiling, which phased through to find a potential power source for whatever was jamming the computer signal. The lights flickered and something that Sora hadn't even noticed humming in the background the entire time suddenly stopped. "ACCESS APPROVED!" The little bots have found a cable and traced it to the source and completely fried the computer systems that had been running inside the clock tower.

"Sora!! Can you hear me???" Naminé shouted through the headset.

"Naminé!!!" Sora cried. "LOUD AND CLEAR! You did it, Tron!" The two bumped fists and together they performed Burst Pulse, the little white squares regathering and spinning on the floor once more, hacking and bopping at the walls and chains, attempting to break down the walls, eating away at their glassy surfaces which cracked and splintered beneath as they spun faster and faster.

"NICE TRY, SORA!" the Master shouted from above and aimed another dart at Sora. He raised his keyblade, but it was too late. The dart went straight through the top of his right shoulder, right in the space between his chest plate and neck. "GAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!"

"SORA!!" Tron cried out, reaching for Sora only to disappear in a burst of light before he could reach him, leaving the brunette alone once again.

"NOOOO!" Sora screamed as he clutched his shoulder. He couldn't move his arm! His hand trembled as he struggled to hold his keyblade, he couldn't even keep a grip! "Naminé, I need help!"

"They're coming, Sora!" the blonde tried to assure him through his ear piece. "Just please, hang on!"

"I already told you. Nobody's going to save you," the Master taunted once again, standing before Sora as a new set of chains materialized and sprung for Sora.

Sora tried to raise his arm to block once again, but his arm didn't respond. Time and his heart seemed to stop as he looked down in horror at his arm. He couldn't move it. HE COULDN'T MOVE HIS ARM! By the time he let out a panicked cry, the chains were already in his face. He RAN! He dodged and ran. Dodged. And ran. "STAY AWAY!" he screamed as he summoned lightning spell after lightning spell. He flowmotioned off the walls, kicked off wherever he could, called upon lightning again, and ran again. He was a trapped rat in a cage. No matter how much magic he used, the chains zigged and zagged to miss it and the Master of Masters just had to step aside to avoid everything, as if he's seen this play out before and always knew where to be so he wouldn't get hit. There was no effort in his movements, as if Sora's struggle was a show he's seen dozens of times and he already knows how it's going to end.

The entire time his right arm hung limply and he tried with all his might to summon his keyblade into his left hand. While he struggled, he caught a glimpse of the Master just idly walking around the efforts of his magic, unfazed by the molten hot ground that had melted from so many lightning strikes. He hadn't even hit the guy! NOT EVEN ONCE! It pissed him off!

"HEY, BOB!" he shouted.

"I told you, my name's not--" the cloaked man protested but was interrupted by a flaming boot to the face as Sora made one desperate attempt to land one blow using what Phil tried to teach him back at the coliseum, sending him careening into the glass wall and almost completely shattering it as it spiderwebbed to reveal an eerie black surface behind it.

Sora wasn't about to let up, either. He stuck Ultima into the ground and used it to whip around and propel himself AGAIN at the stunned man, flying towards him to send both feet into his chest, his boots dripping with white hot flames as he plunged them into his rib cage, scorching his coat as he felt the bones give before he bounced off with a quick flick of his feet over his head in a backflip, ready to aim one last desperate strike with his keyblade. "HAAAAAA!!!"

CLINK!

That was the only sound of warning Sora heard as one of the possessed dark chains wrapped around his keyblade and left arm and yanked him back HARD, sending him flying backwards and dragging him across the broken floor. "NO!!" he screamed as he struggled to get to his feet, the keyblade disappearing from his grip as the barbed chain tightened and tore through his gauntlet. Then more chains grabbed his ankles, sending him flat on his face as he couldn't catch himself with his limp right arm. He rolled and struggled, only managing to get to his knees before the chain on his left wrist yanked back, wrenching his spine backwards just as another grabbed his right arm and did the same. Then finally, another wrapped around his neck and slowly squeezed. He stopped struggling as the rough barbs pressed into his skin, threatening to shred his throat apart if he dared to move. He looked up to see the Master of Masters towering over him and brushing the ashy remains of his coat off of himself, revealing a black shirt underneath with very clear imprints of Sora's boots in his chest. "You got two good hits in, kid, I'll give you that," he sighed, though his voice was a little more croaky than before from clearly having the wind knocked out of him.

"My name...is Sora..." the brunette gasped.

"I know, I know," the Master patronized as he pointed the tip of his keyblade at Sora's chest plate and poked it lightly. The metal polished gleamed furiously with a blinding light in defiance. "Now let's try this again!"

Sora's vision turned red and time slowed yet again as he watched the Master retract his keyblade, ready to plunge it forward into his chest. This was just like before...and just like before, his heart cried out for Riku. _Riku..._ His lower lip quivered barely even able to breathe his name. It was a last desperate prayer but what he felt in that instant when he reached out was nothing but pain. His eyes widened, pupils shrinking as he felt like somebody had plunged daggers into his heart, and the other's keyblade hadn't even reached him yet. "RIKUUUUUUUUUUUU!!!!" he screamed desperately, fearing for the other teen's life over his own, even as No Name cracked his armor open. "RIKUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU!!!" he screamed again as the Master aimed a second jab, ready to rip out his heart a second time. But he was too late, Sora's heart escaped all on its own, leaving the keyblade wielder to transform into his Rage Form in a blinding flash.

The Master recoiled, stunned during the sudden transformation before his keyblade could penetrate Sora's exposed chest. When he looked again to see the furious darkness coated teen struggling against his chains, he laughed! "Wow! You really are scary, aren't you?"

Sora glared at him with his glowing eyes as he thrashed with all his might against the chains. He even attempted to teleport out of their grasp but they held on. He didn't care that they cut into his limbs and throat. He was going to do whatever it took to rip the man in front of him apart! His mouth opened in a silent howl that shook the walls around them and caused the beaten mirror ceiling to finally collapse around them. The Master didn't seem perturbed, however, and simply jumped up to slice through the falling chunks of ceiling and throw them aside as if they were made of nothing but styrofoam.

"SORA!"

"SORA!"

He could hear them. Riku and Kairi! He let out another silent shriek, the walls shaking violently again while orange spiked orbs of darkness began materializing out of the floor.

"Okay, Lemming, you're up!" the Master shouted towards the rafters where a familiar blond in a black coat stood, armed with a guitar and flanked by water clones also armed with instruments, including more guitars, a drum set, and a keyboard.

"Uh, that's Demyx--Ugh, never mind. Let's get this show on the road!" he proclaimed loudly as he swung his arm down and began playing a soft melody on his guitar...a very familiar, powerful melody. ([Click Me.](https://youtu.be/YKhxI6EbTls))

Sora froze and quivered, a sob escaping his mouth as the orbs of darkness subsided. He trembled as tears of blood ran down his otherwise expressionless face. The melody of he and Riku's hearts reverberated through the clock tower, filling his ears and penetrating his entire being. It called out to his heart...and his heart was answering. He groaned loudly, breathing quickening as he began letting out audible sobs, a sign his heart was close by and returning.

"There you are!" the cloaked man watched Sora's face the entire time. Watched him tremble, watched him react, waiting for that perfect split second moment that he needed to strike. That one split second moment where Sora's heart was free and untethered by any bonds of protection and on its way back as it responded to the siren's song that was their own special melody. He waited and now it had finally come. He saw it, a glittering jewel-like heart about to plunge back into its body and with one well-aimed thrust of his keyblade, he captured it in black chains, preventing it from returning to its owner as he clutched it in his gloved palm. "At long last!"

It all happened so fast! Too fast for Sora to even see! Before him, his own heart pulsed angrily as its light struggled against its bindings. But before the Master could even gloat, the music suddenly changed. It was still their heart song, but the tempo and the arrangement changed drastically from a waltz to something akin of a fight song. It was pounding in Sora's ears with its intensity and his own heart pulsed BRIGHTER, reacting to the change and further fueling Sora to struggle against his bindings, now summoning even LARGER orbs of darkness that broke his chains apart as the rose from the ground.

"Stop it, you idiot!" the Master shouted at Demyx but to no avail. The blonde was having too much fun rocking out, even as dust shook from the walls and the bells from the tower rang from the sheer intensity of Sora's fury. He lunged for the master, screaming and swiping furiously as he summoned his keyblade, flipping and clawing and jabbing while the Master simply backed and deflected his attacks, until finally he seemed fed up with it. "Ugh, never mind. I'll just have Luxy clean up this mess. Thanks again, Sora!" the Master waved before walking through a portal of darkness just as Sora launched his largest dark orb attack, completely missing him by a fraction of a second while his attack shattered the remains of the walls around him and brought them crumbling down in a heap.

It was too late. The Master was gone and so was his heart. He clutched his chest as he fell to his knees, his keyblade disappearing from his grip as his head rolled back. The blue lines on his clothing disappeared and his eyes became even more yellow. The sounds of feet running towards him over the crumbled wreckage of the artificial ceiling sounded so far away. He was barely even registering when his name was called as he was shaken. The music was gone now. There was nothing. Nothing but ache. But then he felt something on his face, something warm. Then he heard a voice...a voice that soothed the empty ache clawing at his chest.

"Sora...Please, answer me, Sora..."

Strong arms held him tightly. He could see light. He could see Riku. Riku's light filled his eyes, helped him see again. But that's all he could do is see. He couldn't speak. He reached out to touch his beautiful face.

This wasn't rage form.

This was anti-form.


	56. Taste, What a Bittersweet

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Riku and Darkness Crystal Sora face off.

"I don't have time for this!" Riku roared in frustration as he blocked several more attacks. For a brief moment, the creature hesitated but then began multiplying, now attacking Riku from six different directions. He really had his hands full now! It felt like all he could do was dodge and block, the crystals taking advantage of his waning stamina with their clawed hands getting closer and closer to his body each time. "ENOUGH!"

"Why? Why do you have to look like that? You could have picked ANYTHING ELSE!" Riku growled as he performed his shotlock command, forcing the crystals to combine into one Sora once again.

The keyblade master panted as he held Braveheart high, the two staring each other down from both ends of the open space, waiting for the other to make the next move. The Sora doppelganger took a cautious stance, its body fading between corporeal and incorporeal as the seconds ticked by. When he was solid, the light reflected off of his dark glassy features and Riku could make out a half-lidded expression. It looked tired, sad...maybe even a little afraid. Riku swallowed hard and clenched his fist tighter around his keyblade as he tried to not let the other's appearance sway him. This thing wants to hurt Sora. It's working with Xigbar and the Master of Masters. It's the enemy.

But then...

Why does his heart ache to look at him?

Him...not it.

It should just be a pile of dark crystals and nothing more. But they were once part of Sora...and now they look like Sora. Any version of Sora is Sora...right? He huffed in frustration with himself. Maybe this was the Master's plan all along...to toy with him.

"Whatever you're planning, it's not going to work!" he shouted defiantly to whatever may be listening. "I'm going to get out of here and return to Sora's side. You can't stop me!"

The Darkness Crystal Sora straightened up and gave him an offended look and Riku felt his heart jump. He really did look similar to the Sora of his dreams who couldn't speak, the one who kept him company and helped him fight his loneliness when Sora was asleep. It was just so Sora and he had to stop himself from apologizing just out of a sheer knee-jerk reaction. Instead an unsure noise escaped his throat as the other stepped back towards the walls behind itself.

It placed a hand on the mirrored wall and disappeared within it. Suddenly all the surrounding walls turned black as images bled onto their surfaces and many loud voices erupted from within, bouncing off the hollowed walls and forcing Riku to cover his ears. He could hear screams. Sora's screams. Images of blood spattered walls filled his vision. Keyblades piercing through skin, broken bones, chains wrapping around contorted limbs, hands around throats, claws and lasers slicing through clothing,...At first he thought it was all from the first encounter with the Master of Masters and Xigbar, the one he interrupted. He's seen it in Sora's dreams and visions more than a few times up to this point. But then he realized that these just weren't all from one incident. These were of MANY.

"RAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!!!!!!"

"Without them...I'm worthless..."

_Wait..._ Riku turned around toward the source of that cry. His eyes widened to see Sora's point of view, watching his own back as he thrust Braveheart towards a demon tide before watching himself get torn apart. _This is what happened the first time...he told me about this!_

"Why are you showing me this?!" Riku shouted at the walls. His fists were clenching so hard his nails were biting through his own gauntlets. "I'm very well aware of how much he hurts! WE ALL HAVE HURT! It's because of--"

_Wait...No, I'm done blaming myself. I've made mistakes. I've learned. But who's to blame for the rest of it?_

"Sora!" he called out to the creature and suddenly the screaming stopped, but the walls still pulsed with darkness as if to indicate they were listening. He took a deep breath as his blood ran cold. This thing really responded to Sora's name...could it really be more than just mindless crystals? He made the mistake with Roxas and Naminé, assuming that they had no right to exist, that they had no hearts and they should just be taken back where they belonged. He thought back to that dream he had just before they entered the clock tower. That smile...the hands over his heart. That one word he couldn't hear...what was it? He can't afford to make another mistake like that again.

"Is that it? You just want to return to Sora?"

The mirrors displayed more images but these were of the Master of Masters, as if from the Darkness Crystal Sora's point of view. "Welcome to the family." Visions flashed of abuse, of being locked in a cage, telling him he only had one purpose and that there was no escape. Threats that he can never leave, not unless he takes Riku's heart. Riku is the reason for his suffering. Riku was the one who took him out of Sora's body. Riku's the reason he's suffering. All while Xigbar yelled at him and threatened him with his weapons. It broke Riku's heart to watch. This crystal being may have been born of darkness, but does that make one inherently bad? Is the desire to live, to be complete, such a terrible thing? He knew the answer to this, or at least he thought he knew. But even if this creature was pitiful, its actions could only hurt Sora and he can't let that happen.

"I see...but I'm afraid I can't let you do that," he said firmly. 

For once, he was kind of glad Sora wasn't here. Sora probably would've caved and showed mercy. Then again, he'd be lying if he said the thought wasn't crossing his mind briefly. But the memories of Sora lying in his hospital bed, crying and screaming and flailing if he awoke for more than a second, the seemingly endless days of wondering if what they were doing would ever be enough...they far outweighed the scales in his mind.

That clearly wasn't the answer that the Darkness Crystal Sora was looking for as blood-curdling screams came from all sides of the room and walls turned back into darkness corridors. From within each one, many copies of the creature burst forth and resumed their attacks on Riku, their struggle picking up once more. Clawed fingers slashed left and right, their movements merely blurs of black streaks in Riku's vision as he dodged and blocked with darkness barriers, only occasionally able to lash back with his combined light and darkness slashes. He growled in frustration as the onslaught continued, so much so he barely registered the voice in his ear.

"RIKU!" Naminé called out into the headset.

"Naminé!"

"Sora's in trouble! And so are the others!"

"I know! I just need to--AAAAAAAGH!!" he felt something slam into the side of his head, like a very oversized shoe and then his face hit floor just before he heard the crunch of his headset beneath someone else's boot. "DAMN YOU!" he shouted as he popped his jaw back into place and threw a potion on himself to stop the throbbing in his skull. "YOU'RE DONE!" he shouted and aimed blast after blast of dark firaga at the portals along the walls, smoking out their occupants until the Sora doppelganger was forced to converge into one entity again.

"There you are!" Riku shouted smugly as he sprinted forward, teleporting in a burst of light and darkness to slash at Sora but just as he was about to bring his keyblade down, he heard Sora's voice ring in his ears and he stopped an inch from his face, barely brushing against the glassy tips of his hair before he quickly retreated. "Stop it! Just stop it!"

The crystal figure flinched, its hands up in front of its face as if it just realized how close it was to being eliminated. As it did so, a burst of light shot from its hand and glass-like Oblivion appeared in its hand, nearly translucent with the appearance of black smoke.

"No, that's not possible!" Riku shouted. Angry that the fake Sora even DARED to summon a keyblade, let alone Oblivion, of all things! "You shouldn't be able to wield one! It's bad enough that you look like Sora, don't you DARE pretend that you're fit to wield a keyblade!"

Something sparkled in the fake Sora's eyes and Riku felt his rage subside only to be replaced with confused remorse. _Are those tears?_ The crystal figure's shoulders shook as it lowered its head but then straightened angrily as it threw the keyblade at Riku's feet, letting it shatter into a million pieces before disappearing in a puff of smoke. Riku watched it disappear and then looked up again to see the creature on its knees, pounding the floor with its fists before tugging at its own hair, its form fading in and and out as it shook all over in silent sobs. Riku's throat tightened. He looks just like when he took the keyblade from Sora at Hollow Bastion...but worse. His heart clenched and he grit his teeth, palms shaking as his made a fist with his left hand.

"Look, I can't make you understand. But I love Sora more than anything else in this world. I promised to protect him no matter what! I just can't--" he stopped. The Darkness Crystal Sora was looking up again, staring at him with glassy black eyes. Even if he's just an imitation of Sora and they in no way sparkled like his, the corners still crinkled the same, his eyelashes fluttered, and his cheeks still puffed the same way. Again, he was reminded of that look of the Sora in his dreams. What was that word? That one syllable word? The movement was so familiar and now that he tried imitating it with his lips again, he knew.

_Love._

He sighed and closed his eyes, dismissing Braveheart. "Consume the darkness, return it to light," he whispered to himself.

He swallowed and offered his hands out to the quaking figure on the floor. "Come here...Sora," the last word heavy on his lips...the heaviest the two syllables have ever felt.

The crystal being suddenly looked angry, conflicted even, but it didn't give Riku any chances for second thoughts as it disappeared and suddenly reappeared in front of him, claws aimed at Riku's chest. The keyblade master only had one split second to react, barely grabbing its hand, but it was too late. Four sharp digits embedded themselves into his chest, right above his heart, earning a scream of agony as he felt them not only pierce his skin but his very heart itself. "AAAAAAAAAAAAGGGHHHHH!!!!!!"

"RIKUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU!!!"

"SORA!" he gasped, the other's cries of pain from feeling what was happening to his own heart startled him just as a burst of light exploded from his own chest and the other being relented, ripping fingers out of him to retreat into the other side of the room.

He breathed hard as he clutched his own chest. Even when he cast curaga, it hurt, but it wasn't his own pain that he was feeling. "SORA!!!" he shouted again, desperate to reach out for him, only for the feeling to suddenly disappear. Which could only mean...

"NO!!" he cried out and started aiming more firaga blasts at the walls, but then something shook the entire room, ceiling and all, and the ceiling began to crumble. He looked behind him to see the Darkness Crystal Sora clutching its hand, shrinking away from his gaze and running around desperately as if it too wanted to escape. As soon as a crack in ceiling opened up, it turned into a crystal heart and slipped through the small hole, leaving Riku alone to dodge the falling rubble. "I'm coming, Sora! Hang on!"

"Riku!"

"Kairi!" He could hear her through the opening in the ceiling. He just needed to jump up there. But as soon as he managed to climb through the opening, he heard the shattering of glass and Kairi was nowhere to be seen. "KAIRI!?"

He desperately looked around, the entire building shaking and almost making him lose his footing. There was nothing to see from up here but a maze of marble and mirrored walls. Where's Sora??

Then up in the ceiling, Demyx played their beloved song and his heart stopped. "NO!! DEMYX, STOP! YOU DON'T KNOW WHAT YOU'RE DOING!"

The next few seconds are a blur. Riku can only hear the sounds of his own heaving breaths as he jumps over collapsing walls, his heart searching desperately for Sora. The music changes and everything crumbles around him. He even finds himself pinned underneath them for a moment before he's able to dash out of the bind. He reaches out again. Anything for a sign. But Sora's just not there! Finally, there's a clearing in the rubble and he can see a kneeling figure through the cloud of dust.

"SORA!"

He sprints and dashes over as fast as his legs could possibly carry him and out of pure instinct wraps his arms around Sora. His heart already knows something that his eyes refuse to see as he clutches the teen tightly. He can't look. It can't be true.

"Sora...Please, answer me, Sora..." he cried, but his heart's screams reached nothing. There was no other heart to answer his call.

As tears stung his eyes, he felt Sora's hand brush his cheek. His touch felt so cold. He dared to open them, to see him through blurred vision and it didn't help. His bleary gaze was only met with glowing eyes inset in a black shadowy form of his best friend...his true love. This wasn't rage form. This could only be one other thing.

Clawed thumbs gently try to rub tears from Riku's cheeks but they scratched instead. It hurt, but Riku didn't show it, only put his hands over Sora's and gently pulled them down so he could wipe his own tears away. "It'll be okay, Sora. We'll get it back. I promise."

The dark, shadowy form fell forward into Riku, clutching him tightly. It was like hugging liquid nitrogen. He was so cold and felt almost weightless. _But..._ He took a whiff of the smoky black locks adorning Sora's head. He still smelled like Sora, underneath it all. He allowed that one bit of relief to wash over him as he squeezed the other in return. "I'm sorry...I'm so sorry..."


	57. Faith, Should I Take a Leap

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kairi faces off against Xigbar. Will it be for the last time?

"RIKU! SORA!" Kairi called out, also enclosed in her own prison of high, reflective walls. The only difference being is that she could actually see the original winding ceiling that led to the top of the clock tower.

"Forget them! You have your own problems to worry about, Princess!" Xigbar cackled from the rafters above.

"YOU!" Kairi whipped around to face Xigbar who sneered at her with his weapons poised and ready to go. "FINE! Let's finish this!" she shouted.

"My thoughts exactly!"

Kairi was alone again. But she wasn't afraid. She could tell already, Xigbar was sloppy. The usual smirk she'd come to expect was gone. Instead he appeared much more frazzled. Some loose hairs had even escaped his long ponytail. Perhaps it was from the encounter from earlier. Ever since that night back at the lab she's agonized over what she would've done differently if given the chance. But now that the moment is finally here, her mind is blank, but her heart is steady.

"Let's go!" she shouted, tossing her keyblade at the man and disappearing in a flash of light to teleport with her keyblade and aim a slash at him.

Xigbar hated these enclosed places. The ceiling was way too low for his liking and with a wave of his hand, a black shadow fell over the arena and transported the both of them to a floating white disc with plenty of room for himself to take advantage of the terrain. "Hope you like this better, princess!"

Kairi was caught off guard by the change in their surroundings as she landed back on the floor. "You're stalling!" she shouted.

"Are you in that big of a hurry to lose?" Xigbar cackled.

"I need to find Sora!" Kairi called out as she summoned lighting grand magic.

"WHOA! WATCH IT!" the rat-tailed man dodged the lightning strikes by opening up a darkness portal and appeared behind her to aim a barrage of lasers at her back. But Kairi was on the ball and put up a light barrier to deflect his attacks back at him. He grunted as they singed his coat tails and teleported to another spot. He growled angrily. Of all things, this was the last he wanted to be stuck doing. He thought he'd be more excited. He was so close to fulfilling his destiny. His role should be over soon and he and the foretellers could go back to the way things were, or so he had hoped.

_"Is that any way to treat one of your comrades?" Xigbar asked the other foretellers as they gave him the cold shoulder after he just finished explaining their next roles in the upcoming attack._

_"Comrade? While you were gone, you watched us attempt to destroy each other! That's worse than if you were fighting with the rest of us!" Aced shouted angrily._

_"What have you done with Ava?" Invi asked._

_"What makes you think I've done anything to Ava? I was only fulfilling my role like the rest of you!" Xigbar dodged the question, as he has done so many times already. Even if he had told them what happened with Ava, it wouldn't have helped._

_"Do you not feel any remorse for us? Any at all?" Ira asked solemnly._

_"Do any of you?"_

"Stop running and fight me head on!" Kairi shouted as Xigbar continued to disappear in puffs of darkness. She had a feeling he wasn't taking her seriously and it was starting to frustrate her. Suddenly the arena filled with red lasers in the shape of a dome with her in the center and she quickly put up another light barrier to block the onslaught as wave after wave shot itself at her. She grit her teeth as she felt the overwhelming heat of the attacks all around her while her barrier held them off. It was almost unbearable and her limbs shook more and more from their continued impacts.

"Sorry, princess. You could say my heart isn't exactly in this," the sniper laughed bitterly.

"Aw, trouble in paradise, I take it?" Kairi huffed, the last wave of lasers making their pass as she took a moment to catch her breath.

"Not at all," he scoffed as he aimed more blue missiles at her that ricocheted in midair to throw her off.

Kairi saw them coming, but she also saw that Xigbar wasn't even looking at her. Instead of wasting the effort to dodge, she lunged forward and cast a burst of Blizzaga at Xigbar, freezing him in place so that he fell to the ground. The move resulted in one of the missiles grazing her arm, but it was worth it. She had him down! While he was shivering and incapacitated, her body enveloped with light and she dashed at him from all directions, slashing and slashing until she finished with a large uppercut to send him flying through the air.

When Xigbar came falling back down to the ground, he merely grinned and wiped the blood from his lip. "That was cold, princess."

"Just give up! You're falling apart!" Kairi called him out as she pointed Destiny Embrace at him. Her light-based attacks have torn through his coat, revealing scarred skin underneath, the sight of which made the hair on the back of her neck bristle uncomfortably. "First Xehanort and now Bob? What do you have to gain from any of this?"

"What, now you're worried about me?" he spat as he clutched his side. "I'll show you--Wait, who's Bob?"

"The Master of Masters."

Xigbar stared at her for a very, very long second before bursting into laughter and clutching his sides, doubling over just as his ponytail tie broke and his long hair cascaded over his face in a curtain as he practically cried tears of mirth.

Kairi stood and watched, legitimately afraid she broke the man as he continued to laugh as if he hadn't had a genuine reason to laugh in ages.

Finally he looked up again, "Who came up with that? That has Sora written all over it."

The redhead gave the tiniest smile despite herself and the other grinned, finally straightening up and obscenely popping his shoulder back into place. "Thanks, I needed that. Now where were we?"

"Xigbar..."

"Look, my beef isn't with you, princess. This is just how things have to be," he frowned as he saw the look of pity clearly written all over her face. "The sooner you kids accept that, the sooner we can all move on."

"Accept what? That we're supposed to just let Bob have his way!?" Kairi shouted back angrily as she readied her stance. "I'm just supposed to let him take my friend's heart? Is that what I'm supposed to do? What if it was one of your friends!?"

"Don't start preaching to me, young lady! None of that matters any more. What matters is that I'm on the winning side!"

"But--"

"Kairi! Can you hear me?" Naminé's voice rang through Kairi's headset.

"Naminé! I got separated from the others! I'm fighting Xigbar!" Kairi tried to explain just as Xigbar launched another attack, surrounding her with another dome of laser beams. She rolled into a guard position and held her ground as she listened to Naminé scrambling to find help through the headset.

"Naminé!" Ven's voice rang through her earpiece. "We're under attack. We can't get away!"

"Same here!" Axel called out next. "These guys are giving us a run for our money! LOOK OUT, ROXAS!"

"DARE TOO STWONG!!!" Donald squawked.

"Has anybody heard from Riku??" Kairi asked.

"I tried, but I lost him too!" Naminé fretted.

"Heads up, princess!" Xigbar shouted, calling back her attention as the initial barrage ended and started shooting more blue missiles at her.

"Stand by!" Kairi shouted, throwing her keyblade at the missiles to teleport in a flash of light again, grabbing her keyblade in midair to swing and strike the missiles back at Xigbar, completely catching him off-guard and stunning him as he fell to the ground again. Just as she lunged forward to strike, an awful pain struck her through the heart!

"AAAAAAAAAAHHHH!!!" she dropped her keyblade and clutched her chest. She could hear everybody else screaming through the headset as well. But in her other ear, she could hear Xigbar cry out in pain too. She looked up to see him clutching his chest with one hand, breathing hard while his one pupil shrunk in terror.

"Kairi!" Naminé cried out painfully. "I lost Sora!"

"SORA!!" Kairi gasped and ran over to Xigbar, grabbing the incapacitated man by the front of his cloak and shaking him furiously. "LET US OUT OF HERE!! If you don't let me get to Sora right now I will end you right here! TELL ME WHERE HE IS!"

"What is this?" the man groaned as he wrenched her hands off and shoved her to the floor. "WHAT IS THIS!?"

Kairi quickly got back to her feet and summoned Destiny's Embrace again. "What else could it be?" she glared knowingly. "It's Sora!"

"What!? That's impossible!"

"Don't you get it? You're connected to Sora too, just like the rest of us! If the Master of Masters gets his way, you're in the same boat as the rest of us!" Kairi laid it all out before lunging at him, using her attack Heart of a Princess to attack him from all sides. The man merely stumbling and grunting this way and that as he received blow after blow while curling up into a ball. It almost wasn't even fair, but Kairi desperately needed to get back. If getting rid of Xigbar was the only way to get back to where she originally was, she'll do it!

Suddenly, the wide open arena disappeared and they were back in the enclosure with the mirrored walls. the ceiling falling down all around them and a song she's never heard playing in the rafters. She could hear Riku somewhere close by.

"Kairi!"

"RIKU!!" she shouted just as she was about to land one last blow, Xigbar reached up and snatched her by the wrist while she attempted to perform an uppercut, squeezing it hard in his large hand until she was forced to dismiss her keyblade. "STOP! LET ME GO!" she flailed. "LET ME GO!" she pounded at him with his free hand and flailed and kicked as he merely stood and effortlessly walked with her suspended in the air toward one of the crumbling walls that revealed a huge glass window overlooking the landscape below. The tower must've moved while they were fighting because now they appeared to be perched over the side of a cliff with a large forest down below. "LET ME GO!" she screamed just as she felt something in her heart SNAP like a rubber band that took her breath away. "SORA!! SORA!!" she cried as she realized she couldn't feel him any more. "THIS IS ALL YOUR FAULT!" she yelled and cried, not even caring that she was twisting her own arm painfully just so she could sock Xigbar across the face just before he swung around and sent her flying through the glass window.

As she was thrown, she braced her arms in front of herself as she felt glass scrape against her skin and the air envelope her body in an unforgiving gust as cruel gravity sought to claim her. But just as she braced herself to prepare for the inevitable impact, she heard a mechanical whoosh.

"KAIRI!" Ven called out, swooping under her in his key armor hoverboard to catch her in his arms. The impact of her body sending them down a few feet before he regained control and held her tightly. "I got you!"

"VEN!" Kairi opened her eyes to look up and see Ven without his helmet, his face covered in dirt and sporting a purple, bloodied lip. "Ven, you're hurt!"

"Just hang on!" Ven instructed, letting her stand and hold onto him as he redirected his vehicle over to where Aqua and Terra were waiting. They weren't in any better of shape than Ven was. Pieces of their armor were already falling off and they were clearly exhausted.

"Kairi!" Aqua called out and rushed over when the two landed. Together they all cast curaga on each other. "What happened up there?"

"I don't know!" Kairi choked as she was struck with the realization that she can't feel Sora's heart the same way that she used to. "I just know Sora's in trouble!"

"Is Riku with him, at least?" Ven asked.

"I don't know..." Kairi confessed.

"Status report!" Naminé called through the headsets. "Wayfinder trio?"

Terra answered for them. "We're all here. And we have Kairi with us. We've encountered a foreteller, but they retreated."

"Copy that. Musketeers?"

"We're okay! We also fought a foreteller. But they're gone too!" King Mickey answered.

"Copy. Team Sea Salt?"

"We're fine!" Roxas answered. "Isa needs a break, though! He pushed himself too hard. We fought two foretellers and they turned tail and ran!"

"Copy! Destiny Trio?"

Kairi answered shakily, "Kairi here...I got separated from Sora and Riku. I'm with the Wayfinders. Xigbar is severely wounded. As far as I know the other two are in the tower."

"Copy! Riku, Sora, do either of you copy?"

Everybody waited with bated breath as Naminé continued to call for other two teens. They all subconsciously reached out with their hearts for any sign that they're alright. But only Tron's voice answered back.

"Master Riku's device is offline," the program confirmed solemnly. "I assisted Sora in battle but...I'm unsure of his current status. His device is still online."

Kairi looked to the others. They all feared the worst for their friends. Suddenly a spark of static could be heard over their earpieces. It was warbled, but very distinct.

"Can anybody hear me?" Riku asked.

"RIKU!!!" Kairi cried. "Riku, what's happened? Are you two okay!?"

"I'm...with Sora," Riku answered.

"That bastard took his heart, didn't he?" Roxas's voice angrily shouted through their headsets. "We all felt it! Why are we all just standing around!?"

"Roxas..." Riku choked.

"I DON'T WANT TO HEAR IT! We need to regroup!" Roxas shouted again, making everybody wince.

"Right! I'm redirecting all of you to Kairi. Sora's heart may not be with him, but I think I can still track it with Kairi's help," Naminé explained. "Can everybody still summon corridors of darkness?"

Everybody confirmed they could through the headsets and in no time, they had all regathered, though they all looked worse for wear. They had all used potions and cure magic, but the bruises, torn clothing, and dirt was more than enough evidence to show that they've all taken a beating, Isa especially since he had gone into berserker mode. Even though they were all reunited, they seemed to be at a loss for words, exchanging solemn glances and nods at each other as they looked up at the clock tower looming above their heads.

"Are you still there, Riku?" Kairi asked.

"Y-yeah. My headset broke. I'm using Sora's," the teen explained. "We're going after the Master ourselves."

"Then...we'll rescue Sora's heart," Kairi nodded determinedly as she put a hand over her own chest. "I can feel it. I know we can get it back!"

"Right!" Ven stepped forward. "All of us will team up and come in from the back. We'll get Sora's heart back before the Master of Masters can use it!"

"Think you can handle the Master of Masters on your own, Riku?" Roxas asked.

"I'm not alone. Whether I think I can do it or not, Sora's not taking this lying down and neither am I. We'll meet you guys at the top."


	58. Fate, This is What I Choose

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Riku and Anti-Form Sora team up to fight their way through the Daybreak Tower replica in order to find where the Master of Masters is keeping Sora's heart.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> More music to set the mood!
> 
> [My Sanctuary/Passion Guitar Cover](https://youtu.be/EGWZdrJKuHQ)
> 
> CW: Character Death

"I'm so sorry...I'm so sorry..."

Riku pulled back to look at the anti-form of Sora, tendrils of darkness coming off his cold body like smoke, glowing eyes gazing at him from a completely blank face. The teen's movements were antsy even as he held Riku, shoulders and feet twitching as if he couldn't hold still. Finally Riku let him go and got off the floor, furiously rubbing the moisture from his eyes as he summoned his keyblade. "We don't have any time to lose. Let's go." The teen turned to begin walking and offered his hand to Sora, but paused when Sora didn't take it. "Hm?" he turned around to see Sora scratching at something on the side of his head and could hear a small voice.

"Wait, do you still have your headset?" Riku asked, kneeling back down to gently pry Sora's hands away before he clawed his own face. "Does it still work?" he put his own head next to Sora's and heard the garbled voices of Naminé and the others and hurried to get the tape undone, but Sora wasn't having it!

"I'm sorry, it'll only hurt for just a second!" Riku promised as he grabbed the tape and RIPPED it off, causing Sora to flinch HARD and glower at him. "I'm sorry?" Riku apologized as he held up the ear piece. But then the other teen reached up and YANKED the leftover tape off of Riku's own head. "YEOWCH!!! HEY!!!"

Seemingly pleased with himself, Sora scrambled away on all fours. "Wise guy," Riku grumbled as he peeled the rest of the tape off and pressed the earpiece to his own ear. "Can anybody hear me?"

While Riku caught up with the others, Sora was fiddling with the medical tape that he tore off of Riku, frustrated that he was unable to rip it off his fingers and flailing around like a cat with tape stuck to its paws. When he peeled it off with one hand, it got stuck to the other. Riku on the other hand had his back turned the entire time while he was talking over the headset, completely unaware of the teen's struggle. Finally, it seemed that the only solution to be rid of the infernal sticky thing was to return it to its rightful owner. So while Riku was distracted, he carefully stuck it to the back of his jacket and casually crab-walked away.

"I'm not alone. Whether I think I can do it or not, Sora's not taking this lying down and neither am I. We'll meet you guys at the top." Riku turned back to Sora to see him curled up on the floor as if taking a nap and inwardly facepalmed before he properly attached the headpiece to his own ear. "Come on, Sora."

Sora looked up from his position on the floor and stood almost awkwardly on two feet, back hunched over almost unnaturally as he walked ahead of Riku while using one hand to support his upper half on the floor as he galloped every several feet. "Wait, how do you even know where you're going?" Riku asked as he chased him towards a stairwell.

Sora just halted in place and looked at him with his head rolled over his shoulder as if to ask, "Really?"

"Right. Sorry," Riku apologized with his head down. As he clenched his fists, he closed his eyes and inhaled hard through his nose, trying to ground himself while his heart beat angrily in his chest. He needed to focus on the task at hand but all the while he just kept thinking about how he had failed in his mission to protect Sora. When he opened his eyes again, he was taken aback to see Sora kneeling on the ground below him, looking at him questioningly with those giant yellow eyes. He took a step back in surprise but Sora walked forward, matching him step for step as he kept up the uncomfortable eye contact. "Sora..."

The teen straightened up and grabbed Riku's hand, turning quickly to drag Riku behind him as they continued up the stairs. Riku followed, but even with Sora's enthusiasm, his feet felt heavy beneath him. "Sora, wait."

Sora refused to slow down, even as they went up a third flight of stairs that seemed to do nothing but zig zag back and forth between many loud gears spinning away as they powered the inner workings of the clock tower. He called for Sora again, in case he simply couldn't hear him over the din of many ticking and clanking gears, but Sora made no sign of slowing down. "Can you even hear me in there, Sora?" he was only answered with a tight squeeze of his hand, but Riku was beginning to wonder if that was him answering or if it was a sign of the younger teen being impatient with him.

"Sora, I'm trying to say--"

Suddenly Sora whipped around and put a hand over Riku's mouth, stopping him from saying anything else. His hand felt so cold it almost stung his cheeks. Yellow eyes glared at him as he felt cold sweat run down the side of his face. He gently pried the dark hand off of himself, "Are you mad at me? I pushed you away after I said we would fight together. This could have been avoided--" Suddenly the other tackled him, knocking the wind out of him as he landed flat on his back. "SORA!"

The teen wouldn't let him get a word in as he grabbed him by the front of his white shirt and started shaking him HARD, not unlike Riku had done to Sora so many times before when he had done something stupid. Sora has attempted to shake the daylights out of him before, but has never really succeeded, lacking the force to actually do so, but the strength in his arms was super human and certainly rattled Riku very good until finally he could take no more. "OKAY! OKAY! I get it! I'm sorry!" he yelled before shoving Sora off with his feet. Sora bounced away, backflipping and landing on one hand like it was nothing before falling forward and getting on two feet again. With a nod that Riku could only interpret as a huff, he turned on his heels and began moving forward again. "You're right. Now's not the time to feel sorry for myself."

Sora stopped in his tracks yet again and looked at Riku, the elder teen freezing once those eyes looked at him once again. It's barely even been twenty minutes and the other's unpredictable behavior has already got him on edge. "What is it?" The dark teen crawled over to Riku and stood up as straight as he could, standing on his toes to painfully cup Riku's face with his clawed fingers and press his forehead to his. Riku grit his teeth and wrapped his arms around Sora's waist. The pain didn't matter. He could feel the warmth behind the gesture and that's all that mattered. Even now, without his heart, Sora was reaching out for him. He can't let him down again. He needed to get his light back. "We'll get it back, I promise," Riku whispered. At those words, Sora pulled away and released him, turning back around to head for the next flight of stairs and Riku followed in kind.

"There's got to be a faster way up!" Riku growled after about the sixth flight. He looked over the railing and then looked up, squinting through the dark at the winding staircases. Even if they sprinted, they could be running up this thing for the next hour before they reached the top. "What say we take a little short cut?" he asked Sora before hopping off the ledge and air-stepping to the next level where he grabbed the railing and hung there. "Come on!"

Sora just stood there, almost glaring at him. "What? You can do it! You going to let a few stairs stop you?" Riku goaded him on. But as soon as Sora made the leap, he could see why the other hesitated. He couldn't use flowmotion or air-step! Instead, he jumped as high as he could and used his left hand in mid-air to grasp at nothing and spun himself twice around to give him the extra momentum to make it up where he grappled for the same railing and clung on for dear life before struggling to climb over it. "Oh, sorry." Sora's shoulders and head shook before he sent a punch into Riku's shoulder, nearly sending him over the edge of the railing. "HEY! Okay, I get it. I still think it could be a good idea, though."

Before Sora could even make a motion of protest, swarms of heartless started coming at them on the floor they were on. Riku immediately summoned Braveheart again but Sora had other plans. He grabs Riku by his hood and tosses him over the railing, catching the keyblade master by surprise but he air steps to the next platform while Sora starts using the flying soldier heartless as footholds. "Show off!" Riku smirked as together, they climbed their way up. Occasionally, Sora was stuck in mid-air without a heartless to jump off of, so Riku had to come behind him and grab HIM by his hoody and toss him to the next level. Once they got a rhythm going, it got to the point where they would grab hands in mid air and give each other a toss so they could jump more than one floor at a time, working off of each other's momentum to gain speed as they rose higher and higher while fighting off heartless that were gathering in such large numbers that they were practically spilling over the railing just to get to them.

Eventually, they had reached the topmost story, or at least it appeared that way because there weren't any more stairs for them to skip this way, so Riku grabbed Sora's hand and threw him onto the last floor before rejoining him. But once he caught up, he realized he had just thrown Sora into a GAUNTLET of heartless. The teen was surrounded on all sides, scratching and kicking and flailing with black fireballs and beams of dark energy as he did his best to fight them off while he waited for Riku to get there. "SORA!"

The other reached out and grabbed Riku's hand, and Riku felt it, a surge of dark energy to boost his own attacks. Together they worked together to take out the hoarde of mobs. But as Riku downed a potion at one point, his eyes widened in realization that he hadn't seen Sora heal once. He turned around and tried to toss a potion at Sora but the liquid merely rolled off of him instead of absorbing immediately like it should. "Oh no!" He could see it now, Sora was starting to falter. They had climbed all this way and he had no way of telling Riku whether he was hurt or not. He didn't even have a keyblade to defend himself with! He needed to get Sora out of this situation now! It was too risky to continue like this! "Time's up!" he shouted as he activated time magic, freezing all the mobs in place before activating his shot lock and destroying all of them with wave after wave of dark firaga. Once they were eliminated, he could see Sora stumbling but he kept moving forward. "Wait, Sora! You should rest!"

Sora only shoved Riku's hand off his shoulder and kept walking, picking up the pace as he made his way to a different set of stairs. When Riku turned around, he could see why. More heartless were already on the way. "You've got to be kidding me!" He turned back around to see Sora dangling from the next set of stairs by his one foot, as if asking him if he's going to stand there all day. "All right, all right, I'm moving!"

As his boots clattered up the steps, he could hear more and more steps growing in number and following close behind. Together the two ran for it while occasionally slicing through more mobs who were standing around and haven't been alerted their presence yet as they dashed through the halls. Nearly out of breath, Riku dismissed Braveheart so he could keep up with Sora, using darkness to dash alongside of him and damage the surrounding enemies while they did their best just to cut through their numbers rather than try to take them all on at once. They had bigger fish to fry and they were both certain he's sitting somewhere at the top of this insane clock tower. "Just hang in there, Sora!" he panted.

. . . .

"What the hell do you think you're doing!? Go back in there and finish him off!" Xigbar yelled as he grabbed Darkness Crystal Sora by the hair. It felt like grabbing a handful of porcupine needles beneath his gloved hands but he didn't care. After tossing Kairi out the window and discovering that Riku hadn't been taken care of like they planned, he ran off to find Sora's doppelganger cowering in the common room and clutching his hand. "What, you looking for Demyx? That idiot doesn't care about you!"

The captured being glared at him, swiping at his chest until the other released him. Xigbar backed away a couple of steps and noticed the crystal being's hand looked much different from the rest of its translucent body. Unlike the rest of it's smoky black appearance, one of its clawed hand resembled that of ice crystals, like it had been purified. As he gawked, the creature glared at him, the same glare he was way too familiar with.

"What's the matter with you!? And stop looking at me like that!" He searched the crystal's eyes and knew immediately. A little red gleam shined from inside the Dark Sora's chest. This thing really was part Sora after all. "You...you really are all the same!" He clenched his right fist ready to summon his weapon and just do the creature in, but he felt conflicted.

The crystal figure seemed to have sensed the man's intentions, because suddenly he lunged at Xigbar, swiping furiously at his chest.

"CUT IT OUT!" the sniper shouted. "Every time I look at you I see all their faces. How was I supposed to know what was going to happen? It's better to be on the winning side!" He remembers those eyes from so long ago. The girl on the floor, the blonde who rushed in. The anger in his eyes. He's never been able to escape it. But he was just fulfilling his role! He was following orders! "It was so long ago, and yet all of you continue to taunt me! JUDGING ME!" he cried out as he summoned his weapon, but it was too late. The crystal shadow kicked it hard enough to shatter the barrel into a thousand pieces until he was left with nothing but his own fists. Finally, he waited for the creature to lunge one more time and grabbed him by the throat, pinning it against the wall while it struggled in his grasp.

"No more. For now on, I'm following my heart...or at least what's left of it. If that means I have to stare into your face one more time, then so be it. This is the end for you," he threatened as he squeezed, the glass-like throat cracking beneath his gloved fist as eyes continued to glare into his soul while it struggled to pry him off. But then clawed hands tore through his sleeves and he felt it as the tips of crystal fingers penetrated his skin. He felt Sora's pain. He felt his suffering, his depression, his trauma, and so much fear. It was too much to take. He held on tightly, squeezing and squeezing as a tear broke from his one eye while he clutched the other's throat with both hands. "Don't you see? This is the only way!"

He remembered watching from the sidelines as he witnessed the first keyblade war. Watched as all those kids slaughtered each other. And for what? Even now, even with the Master here, he still doesn't know. Just feeling this small amount of Sora's suffering was too much and if the Master's plan was going to affect him too, that's a future he doesn't want to be a part of. "I can see them, you know...in your eyes. All of them. Not just Ventus, Roxas, and Sora. The rest of them, too. Even that little girl..." he trembled as his heart at long last broke. His grip slackened and he gripped the crystal teen's shoulders as he fell to his knees, dragging him down with him as he wrapped his arms roughly around him. "I'm sorry..." he sobbed as he held the stiff being.

He couldn't do it. Even though he tried for once to go against the Master's plan and try to destroy his "implement"...he still couldn't do it.

Dark matter spurt everywhere as a clawed hand ripped through the middle of Xigbar and emerged from his back. Dark Sora's expression kept the same glare as he took in Xigbar's shocked expression, unrelenting as the sniper disappeared in a black cloud of smoke.

Xigbar was no more.

Luxu had fulfilled his role.


	59. Won't Be Long, I'm Almost Here

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The climb continues, but it might be too much for Sora and Riku to do on their own. Meanwhile, Kairi and the others come up with a plan.

Riku's muscles ached. The stench of darkness was everywhere and it was getting harder to breathe. Heartless in unforeseen numbers were everywhere and even as they cut through them with their dashes, the crowds were getting so thick that they had to jump over them. When they finally got to a clear floor, Riku doubled over to catch his breath, but Sora wasn't having it. Instead he grabbed him by the hand and dragged him to what looked like a closet and shoved the exhausted Keyblade Master inside, quickly closing the door as he shoved himself in after him.

"Sora, what are you--" Riku was about to ask, but Sora cut him off, covering his mouth with both hands before wrapping himself around Riku, enveloping him in ice cold once again that had the exhausted teen shivering. Sora was trembling too, even as his arms held firm around Riku. They remained silent as what sounded like hundreds of small footsteps marched by the door. With bated breath, Riku wrapped his arms around Sora and felt exhaustion take him, his back sliding down the closet wall as he fell to the floor, unable to stand for a moment longer. Even then, Sora held on tight, as if shielding Riku from something with his own body while the footsteps died down until all that could be heard were the gears of the tower with their constant clicking and clacking. _It's me, isn't it? The heartless are after me. I'm the reason Sora's in danger._ It seems Sora's darkness was enough to deter the heartless from them for now. It was a small reprieve and the silver-haired teen finally allowed himself to breathe, his lungs gulping air greedily as he recovered from their sprinting.

Now that they were here, he wanted to take advantage of the brief moment to assess the damage they had both sustained thus far. The cupboard was dark, so he didn't have much to go on for Sora except that his eyes seemed dimmer. "Sora?" The teen shivered hard in response and worried Riku tremendously. He knows the potion didn't work before, but maybe if he drank it directly it would help? He quickly reached into his pocket to pull out another potion, uncorking it quickly and offering it to Sora to drink from. "Come on, give it a try."

Glowing eyes flicked down at the offered bottle and then up at Riku's again. "What? It's a potion," Riku tried to explain and gently pressed the spout to Sora's mouth to entice him but as he ran his thumb over Sora's chin, he realized Sora didn't have a mouth. His hand shook and his eyes widened in the dark. He knew that. He knew Sora didn't have a mouth. But why was the realization just NOW hitting him? Why did it make his heart clench so hard? He grit his teeth and shut his eyes tightly, resisting the urge to curl up into himself with Sora in his lap. This was too much. This was all too much.

Unexpectedly, he felt Sora take the potion from his hand and dump it on his chest, the liquid stinging the wounds left there by Dark Sora's claws as they closed up. Even now that they were completely healed, the five marks left behind were incredibly sore. "Don't worry about me," he groaned quietly. "I'm worried about you." The elder teen brushed his thumb over Sora's cheek again and the other put his cold hands over Riku's chest once more, their cold touch wonderfully numbing the sore area. "Sora..." he whispered. "What can I do? Please tell me," he choked around the lump growing his throat, unable to stop the helpless tears now flowing down his cheeks. His shoulders began shaking as he struggled to hold them back. Furious with himself he fisted the tears roughly from his eyes, but they kept flowing. He couldn't break down now, not when Sora needed him the most. Sora needed him...and he desperately needed Sora as well. The weight of everything suddenly felt heavier than ever on his shoulders and once again he doubted he had the strength to carry it. After all this time, no matter how desperately he wanted to be, he still wasn't strong enough. He buried his face in his hands, shame spilling over him and filling his veins with white hot anger and frustration, but also cold as sadness and despair threatened to overwhelm him. His heart pounded hard against his rib cage as he breathed hard through his hands, pulling his knees up tighter to himself (as far as Sora's body would allow) as he quickly began spiraling. But just as he let out another groan, he felt a familiar and heavy weight on his chest and looked down to see Sora's head resting over his heart while he continued to hold him close. Just having him there helped, even if the rest of him felt cold. "Sora..." he managed to whisper as he again wrapped his arms back around him and held him tightly, burying his nose in his hair so he could find that bare trace of his scent again, the scent of home. "Sora..."

Each time he whispered his love's name, he felt lighter. So he whispered it again. And again. And again until the painful pounding of his heart calmed to an even rhythm that even seemed to calm Sora as he began trembling less in his embrace. As he dared to open his eyes again, he noticed Sora's eyes glowing brighter and his heart soared with relief. He knew now what had happened...just as Sora shared his darkness, he shared his light to keep Sora's alive. "That's it, isn't it, Sora?" he whispered as he pressed a kiss to the top of his head. The other only shivered in his grip, but in a way that was almost like he was silently purring and finally Riku felt like he could smile and wipe away his tears.

"We need to be careful, Sora. I don't know how many more broom closets we have left to hide in."

. . . . . .

"We don't have much time until the tower will move again!" Master Aqua worried as they all looked up at the looming tower. "We need to make our move fast!"

Roxas nodded to Kairi. "We're right behind you."

"Right!" Kairi clenched her fist over her heart. "I can feel it. Sora's heart is near the top. Right, Naminé?"

"That's right," Naminé confirmed over their headsets. "But the connection feels dim. I can't get an exact location, otherwise I would just have all of you use corridors of darkness."

"Well, how about we use the corridors to get to the top and work our way down?" Ven suggested.

Terra looked at all the others. "Are all of you even up to it? If you're not strong enough to risk walking through the corridors, we should find another way up."

Xion looked to Isa who straightened up and brushed himself off. "I'll be fine."

"A-hyuck! Donald and I are okay!" Goofy assured the others.

"Before we go, we should be prepared for anything. So let's check on our supplies and equipment before we head up there!" King Mickey suggested.

Roxas stepped away for a second while they redistributed supplies and clicked on his headset. "Riku, can you hear me?"

"Roxas?" Riku answered back. It was warbled, but it sounded like he was whispering.

"Why are you whispering? What's going on?" Roxas asked in a low volume so as not to worry the others.

"It's bad in here, Roxas. There are so many heartless after us. We're hiding at the moment just so we can take a moment to breathe," the elder teen explained.

"Are you...are you and Sora okay?" the blonde asked shakily.

"We're okay. We're near the top, I think. But I don't think we have a chance against Bob without Sora's heart."

"We're working on a plan to free his heart now. Maybe it's best if you lay low until we give you a signal?" Roxas suggested.

"What if you run into the Master?"

"I guess we'll just have to make sure we all get there at the same time..." Roxas muttered. Riku had a point. There's no doubt that the Master of Masters was watching Sora's heart like a hawk. "I wonder what Sora would say."

Both were silent for a few seconds but at the same time, they knew. "Distraction," they both said.

"We'll have to make a lot of noise so that he isn't focused on you," Riku said.

"That's going to be one huge distraction. There are a lot of us," Roxas pondered.

"Maybe all of you come in from different areas while one team actually takes the direct approach. I don't think he knows we can still use corridors of darkness."

"Roxas..." Axel wandered over to where the blonde had been standing. He could see him muttering from afar and had a feeling he was talking to Riku. "Everything okay?"

"Riku's in trouble," Roxas explained. "We're trying to think of what Sora would do."

"What Sora would do?" Axel quirked an eyebrow and shook his head as he crossed his arms. "Seems to me, he'd want you to follow your own heart. Got it memorized?" He touched his own temple and pointed to Roxas's hand which has been clenched over his own heart this entire time.

"Follow my own heart?" Roxas sighed.

"He's right," Riku agreed. He then spoke through all of their headsets. "I just wanted to tell all of you, I believe in you. I know you'll get Sora's heart back. Just know my heart is with you, too."

"Riku..." Kairi whispered.

"Urgh..." Roxas clenched his fists and looked to the group. "Kairi, I believe in you. I know you'll lead them to Sora's heart. But my heart is telling me to go to Riku."

Everybody looked to Roxas in surprise, except for Axel who nodded knowingly. Xion looked hesitant, however. "By yourself, Roxas?" she asked timidly.

"Roxas..." Riku muttered over the mic.

"You don't get a say," Roxas huffed to Riku before placing his hands on Xion's shoulders. "I'll be okay."

"Right," Xion nodded faithfully. "And I'll look after Kairi."

"Right!" Roxas grinned. "I'll see you guys at the top."

. . . . .

"And who gave you permission to destroy my apprentice, you little brat?" the Master of Masters asked as he kicked Dark Crystal Sora in the head. The pathetic creature rolling on the floor of the Master's study as he sustained the violent blow.

Desperately, he hid underneath the large round wooden table in the center of the room and brought his knees to his chest. It had been trying to make itself incorporeal to hide from the master, but the man had done something to prevent him from doing so. Now he has delighted in kicking him around and won't let him leave the room.

"What, are you scared now? You should've thought about that before you decided to misbehave. I gave you life. Gave you one job, and this is how you thank me?" he asked, his tone calm but sharp as he reached under the table and grabbed the Sora doppelganger by his sharp hair and yanked him out from beneath the table. "I'll give you one more chance to get Riku's heart back before--Wait, what's that?" he asked before dropping him roughly on the floor and pointing No Name at the trembling creature.

The crystal-like teen fell to the floor roughly and backed away, clutching his hand to try and hide it from view. By now it had the appearance of salt quartz, unlike the rest of his glassy body. He scuttled back along the floor out of the threatening range of the keyblade until he backed into a book shelf where he further curled into himself until the Master reached out and grabbed him by the wrist to look at it for himself. "What have we here?" he inquired as he roughly squeezed the wrist so hard that it threatened to break while the crystal creature flailed and tried to pull away. "HA! Riku's really more impressive than I gave him credit for. I guess I should take care of him myself." He dropped the teen once more and aimed his keyblade at the other's chest. "In the meantime, I think it's time you joined your brother in the box."


	60. Let Me Face My Fears, Watch Me Cry All My Tears

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The final chapter. The thrilling conclusion. The epic showdown! It's all right here!

"Master, about the boy?" Invi asked.

She and the remaining foretellers have been summoned to the Master's study, each of them in different states of exhaustion from their battles with the other keyblade wielders. They were all gathered around the round table, except for Ira who tried to remain tall and proud but even he had one hand braced on top of one of the chairs for support, only sitting when the Master looked his way and gave him a little wave of his hand, indicating he wanted all of them to sit.

"Ah yes, I promised I was going to tell you all about it," the Master started in an airy voice as if he were about to tell them a grand story as he leaned back in his chair with a black crystal heart with a spire in it clutched in one fist. At his feet, the large black box that they had seen with Luxu when he summoned them the first time sat with an ominous aura emanating from it. "Do the four of you remember what I said about why your unions were forbidden to form alliances?"

Aced immediately stared down at the table guiltily with his fists clenched on its rough wooden surface. There was a long silence as the Master clearly expected them to answer, and Invi took it upon herself to mercifully break the long pause, "To form alliances would cause a shift in the balance, resulting in an inevitable power struggle. One should not be stronger than the other."

"Riiiiiiiight!" the Master praised and gave her a thumbs up while he tossed the crystal heart up and caught it in his other hand playfully. "With power comes the desire to rule. The power to control. Because without control, you'll only worry that some day somebody will try to take it from you. And thus you have conflict."

Gula looked to the Master and to the box he now had his feet propped on top of. "So you're saying...Sora might want to rule?"

The Master let out a slightly agitated groan as he threw his head back into his chair and his arms went limp at his sides, "Way to jump ahead to the punch line."

The young man bit his lower lip and shrank back into his seat slightly. "Sorry, I shouldn't have spoken out of turn," he mumbled.

The cloaked man shook his head and waved his other hand as if it didn't matter. "It's fine, it's fine. That's why you're here, aren't you? You're all sharp as tacks."

"That little boy? A ruler? Such arrogance! He didn't look that powerful to me!" Aced huffed.

"I must admit...I didn't sense that from him, either," Invi said quietly as she cupped her chin with her index finger in thought.

"If I may," Ira spoke up, "I think the Master is implying that even if he appears harmless now, he was destined to be a threat later, and so he had to be stopped."

"You could say that, yes," their Master nodded. "You're all right...and you're all wrong at the same time."

The four of them looked up in clear confusion. There was more silence before the cloaked man finally sighed and stood up to pace the floor before them. "You see, Sora is very powerful, but he doesn't know it. He's careless and therefore very dangerous. He's not driven by power but by the desire to do good. Admirable trait, to be sure...but so easily misguided. His heart's strength comes from the connections he makes with others. Just like a king is nothing without subjects, Sora feels he is nothing without his friends. So what do you think happened when all his friends were taken from him?"

"When light expired..." Gula muttered barely under his breath as he stared down at the clenched fists in his lap.

"He brought it back!" the Master almost shouted, arms in the air like somebody just scored a touchdown, his voice suddenly giddy but quickly brought them down when he saw his students lacked the same enthusiasm. "He sacrificed himself to bring back his friends. He took down the bad guy. He got the χ-blade--"

"THE WHAT!?" Aced roared as he suddenly stood, his chair squeaking harshly as it scraped back on the floor while he slammed his palms on the table in outrage. "THAT CAN NOT BE!"

"OH, BUT IT IS!" the Master raised a finger as if to say "hold on, it gets better". "He then used it to seal away Kingdom Hearts ONCE AGAIN. Then he used the power of waking AGAIN to retrieve another friend. That should've been the end of it, but even if Luxu hadn't snatched him on his way back from the Final World, in the other timeline, he STILL doesn't disappear because his bonds with his friends are just that powerful!"

Aced sank back into his chair while the other three exchanged looks of bewilderment, the pieces sliding into place as they realized what their master meant when he said they were all correct but also wrong at the same time. The boy was powerful, but misguided. Selfless, but also selfish in the way that he couldn't accept not having his friends with him. Kind, but careless in his actions as long as he got what he desired, even if it is for somebody else's happiness.

The Master looked at all of them knowingly as they exchanged looks. "So you see, even though he's had his powers taken multiple times, he comes back. He's broken nature taboos just to bring back his friends. He has the χ-blade. He has the potential to summon Kingdom Hearts whenever he wants. His heart has many connections in this world AND the next one. Each connection makes him even more powerful. With this network of hearts, he can do anything. If he ever put two and two together, what "good" do you think he'd try to do next? It's hard to say. Obviously, it's way too much power for one boy to have. I haven't even covered the other part."

"There's more?" Ira asked warily.

"His heart has also helped forge the most powerful keyblades I've ever seen. One so powerful it alters dreams and reality. It's been forged by his bond with Master Riku and it requires the two of them to summon it. Which is why we're grabbing him too, by the way, don't let me forget," he pointed at his wrist as if wearing an invisible watch.

"I understand the boy is powerful," Invi started, "And I understand how it could be problematic. But why take his heart from him?" She asked as she clenched a fist over her own heart. "I don't understand what this has to do with putting his heart in that box."

The Master's spine straightened and he looked to the others who were all giving him the same expecting look. Finally he relaxed his shoulders and sighed before walking over to the trunk and kicking it open, revealing three glass cylinders inset in a bizarre machine with knobs and buttons with a deep key-shaped crevice near the bottom of the trunk. One of the cylinders already had a brightly glowing heart floating inside. "First, Sora here is going to help us bring back Kingdom Hearts," he said in a dark tone as he lifted the center cylinder and placed the crystal heart he had been holding inside, allowing it to also float freely within its new confines. He then tapped on the cylinder containing Sora's heart like a kid would tease a goldfish in an aquarium, which made it shake almost defensively, suddenly glowing brighter as it surrounded itself with hundreds of tiny incorporeal gold chains that quickly faded from view again, a projection of Sora's many connections. "With Kingdom Hearts, we'll reunite the worlds again, just like they were before. Together, everyone shall bask in the protection and light of Kingdom Hearts under our guidance as we protect the precious light once again. If any refuse to cooperate...well..." he glanced down at the controls and flipped a switch, a light glowing green as the small machine whirred. "Using dear Sora's connections and his despair over here," he pointed to the crystal heart, "We'll show them what true suffering feels like and convince them to follow the light. After all, what better way to convince them than by showing what war and pain is like with a demonstration from somebody who's already experienced all the despair that conflict has to offer?" He asked while tapping on Sora's heart container for emphasis. "His strong connections have already been proven to affect the hearts of others as well as call them to his aid. And since hearts are all connected, we can build a peaceful world if everybody works together." He suddenly straightened up and shrugged, "Or it could be a complete disaster, who's to say?" Instead of getting a laugh, he only received stunned silence. "I'M JOKING, I'M JOKING! Yeesh, tough room."

"What you're saying makes sense," Aced said carefully. "But if Sora's heart can do all of that, why do you need the other heart?"

"Oh, yeah! Master Riku!" the Master snapped his fingers as if he just remembered something. "So yeah, he and Sora combined are even MORE powerful! Like it's ridiculous. Get this, get this, Luxu told me that during their Mark of Mastery exam, when Sora almost got his heart snatched in the Realm of Sleep, Riku actually BECAME Sora's dream eater so he could save him. He dream dived in a dream just for this kid! And that's when they forged that keyblade I mentioned! Come to think of it, I don't think they've named it yet. Oh well, when I get the two of their hearts and summon it for myself, I'll be sure to come up with a good name for it. That'll be next on my to-do list," he rambled as he crossed his arms in thought. "But anyway! So we thought Sora had died. I was pretty mad at Luxu so he suggested using Riku as a replacement heart for the plan since he's just as strong, if not stronger, than Sora. He didn't have many connections, but the ones he does have are powerful, if his bond with Sora is any indication. So this whole time we've been baiting him and having him retrace Sora's steps to forge new ones so that he'd fit the bill. But now that our golden boy is with us, we're going to use Riku's heart to TWICE-FORGE the connections that will help us guide the new world we're going to create. And the best part that I'm sure you're all going to be excited to hear...if both their hearts will allow us to summon this special keyblade of theirs...combined with the χ-blade and Kingdom Hearts...we may be able to bring back all the cute kids who lost their lives during the war."

The foretellers all gasped. Aced started shaking. Ira couldn't even close his mouth. Invi had her hands over hers while tears flowed from underneath her mask. Gula hugged his knees to his chest, "Is it really possible, Master? And Ava?"

"Well don't all start celebrating at once!" the Master huffed as they could imagine him rolling his eyes dramatically beneath his hood. "Yes, and Ava too," he added softly.

The four exchanged hopeful glances before Ira spoke up. "What are your orders, Master?"

The Master smirked beneath his hood and snapped his fingers. The room suddenly began transforming around them and the foretellers had to quickly stand as their table and chairs disappeared into the floor in a flash of silver dust. The gears, pillars, and floorboards that surrounded them slid and shifted like a puzzle, disconnecting and reconnecting until they reassembled themselves into what appeared to be a bigger version of the room they were just in, but instead of the walls being lined with books and mysterious knick-knacks, it was just more machinery and where the Master's desk once was, there was a slightly elevated floor with a line of what appeared to be thrones of sculpted black metal with red cushions, seven in number. Behind those stood an altar where the black box rested on top.

The Master of Masters spoke in a serious tone, "You will watch over the box. Do not let the hearts inside escape." He looked at each of them in their disheveled states, noticing a lack of confidence on their behalf. With an exaggerated sigh, he walked over to the box and pointed at a little brass switch next to the green light that lit up before. "If any of them give you trouble, just give that switch a little flick. That'll put them down reeeeeal quick."

The four watched him intently but Gula was the one who nervously asked, "What does it do?"

"I'll show you," the Master replied, quickly flipping the switch up dramatically with his index finger. Suddenly, black lightning shot from the cylinder containing the crystal heart and connected to the cylinder containing Sora's heart where suddenly hundreds of tiny gold chains with no visible ends appeared again, pulsing white hot as they appeared to be sending signals out into the ether, the jewel-like heart inside shaking and glowing a violent crimson red. The foretellers watched in alarm as the machine crackled and glowed, unsure of what was happening until they heard what sounded like faraway screams but it was hard to tell over the sounds of the grinding gears of the clock tower. "Eh, eh? See?" the master looked pleased with himself as he flipped the switch back down. "Let's see if that little taste doesn't convince them to turn tail and run. Stay here and see if they still show up. If they do, you know what to do." The machine seems to have stopped, but Sora's heart still glowed furiously and the chains remained more present than ever, even if the dark energy treatment had stopped. The master tried touching one out of curiosity and picked it up gingerly between his thumb and index finger. The chain of light dangling from his fingers with a dim glow. But after a second, he dropped it with a hiss. "Oooh, still hot!" he winced as he shook out his gloved hand. "Alright, got it? I'm counting on you. I'll be back soon with our other friend," he promised as he summoned No Name. "Don't let me down," he warned before slinging the keyblade over his shoulder and making his way down the stairs.

After the Master of Master had left, there was a long silence between the four of them as their combined gaze eventually turned back to the thrones before them. They wordlessly walked from behind them to look at the elaborate chairs from the front.

"Seven seats..." Gula muttered.

"One for each of us...and maybe Ava...and Luxu too? Maybe he really does think we'll get them back?" Aced said hopefully as he ran a hand along one of the intricately sculpted arm rests.

"Or he wants us to think he does," Invi muttered quietly. The other three looked at her in surprise as she turned her head away and clasped her hands in front of herself protectively. "Forgive me. My heart is still heavy from..."

"Fear not, Invi...mine is too," Ira nodded. He thought back to when the Master told him it was impossible to change their fate and that they needed to focus on what happens _after_. His claims about reviving all who have fallen...could this be what he meant? He wanted to believe that this was the Master's intent--to save those who have been lost--but his heart just wasn't sure.

"Even you, Ira?" Aced asked. "After all of this time, you decide NOW to doubt the Master?" He was almost angry. How could he not be? He felt like they all turned against him once before when he tried to prepare for the worst as foretold by the book of prophecies. Now here they are questioning it after they've treated him so badly for doing so before?

"This isn't like before, Aced," Gula explained sharply. "Before that, we'd never seen the Master take a life. Now look!" He pointed angrily at the box, voice cracking with anger, "He's punishing a kid for something he hasn't done yet! Since when has the Master ever took it upon himself to pass judgement onto others and carry out punishments?"

"But the boy has committed crimes!" Aced protested. Truth to be told, he didn't like this situation either. But somebody had to play devil's advocate here. They've all gone through so much to just flip sides now without careful thought. They've all let themselves go astray before.

"He did what any one of us would have done! He did the exact thing that WE are thinking about doing! How does that make us any better? How does that give the Master the right to decide his fate? Besides rescuing his friends, what harm has he done? Is it right to punish him for something he may or may not even do?" Gula asked angrily, his usually cool demeanor cracking as he became more distraught.

"Is this even punishment?" Invi asked. "If so, who is the Master to decide if this is the right one?"

"It appears to me that this is simply theft. He stole a child's heart for his own use. He can paint the intent with grandeur all he wants but at its core, it's theft. Simple as that. And Gula's right. Even if this were a suitable punishment for his crimes against nature, we'd be hypocrites for using his heart to do the same for our friends. And what then? Would we punish ourselves the same way?"

"You're all right," Aced admitted, shaking his head as he clenched his fists at his sides. "My own heart aches for what has happened to our unions. But this feels wrong...to assuage my own guilt by sacrificing the life of another. And who's to say he'll be the last? Before, we all believed in the light. That's why we followed the Master's teachings. But to lead with the threat of pain and suffering...I don't want that. That's not the kind of leader I want to be!"

"Well said," Ira nodded.

Invi walked over to the machine and gazed into the case holding Sora's heart, the little gold chains twinkling in the light shining through the stained glass windows. "And besides...even if this boy somehow becomes some grand, unstoppable force...a king...who are we to say if that's a bad thing?" she asked softly as she carefully held one of the delicate chains in her fingers. "These are not bonds born of duty, fear, or obligation...they're forged from friendship, kindness, and...love." She smiled beneath her turban. The tiny chain felt warm in her hand...like the touch of an old friend. "If he were to be a king, I sense he'd be one that protects his people. Not rule over them. He'd be a leader when they need him most. But I don't sense any desire to control anybody."

"A protector of all? How does that help? Wouldn't that make everybody weak?" Aced mumbled.

"Not if they're stronger for it," Gula added. "It's like the Master said: his bonds make his friends stronger too. And if what he said is true--that he doesn't think he's strong without his friends--I don't think we have to worry about him becoming arrogant." He chuckled.

"Good friends...will tell you if you've crossed the line. They keep you in check," Ira smiled warmly to the other three. "Judging by what we saw today, I don't think we have to worry, either."

Aced nodded with a heavy sigh. "So what do we do now?"

**CRASH!**

Suddenly shards of broken stained glass rained down upon the foretellers as Kairi and the Wayfinder Trio busted through the windows with their keyblade vehicles. Kairi hopped down from Ven's glider and shouted into her mic, "We're in! Naminé, send the others!"

"Right!" the blonde replied and used her heart to connect with Kairi's. Together they guided the others as they used corridors of darkness to enter the room next, surrounding the foretellers who have summoned their keyblades to create barriers to protect them from all the flying broken glass.

"Surrender Sora's heart at once!" King Mickey shouted.

"I don't understand," Gula peered over his keyblade. "We thought you'd all be incapacitated!"

"Well we were," Kairi huffed. "But our bond with Riku protected us from whatever you were doing to Sora's heart. The two of them would never allow you to hurt us!"

"That's right! Now tell us we're you're keeping him!" the King demanded.

"Or suffer our wrath!" Axel threatened as he split his keyblade into two flaming chakrams.

Gula let out a small chuckle, which caught everybody off guard, even more so when that chuckle suddenly turned into such a huge fit of laughter that he was forced to dismiss his keyblade so he could clutch his middle.

Kairi straightened up from her offensive stance, as did the others who gawked with confusion. Aced and Ira even looked confused but Invi seemed to have caught on to the joke too because suddenly she started laughing along with him.

Goofy and Donald quirked eyebrows at each other. "I wonder wuz so funny?" He suddenly got really steamed and red in the face, stomping his foot on the ground in outrage. "AWR UYOO MAKEN FUN OF US?!?!?!?"

The king's captain couldn't help chuckling along, earning another dirty look from Donald. "I dunno, Donald. Hyuck, but ya know, they suddenly don't seem so bad."

"I-I'm sorry!" Gula apologized as he straightened up. Fighting off another chuckle as he lifted the corner of his jaguar mask to wipe the tears of mirth from his eyes. "It's just that...had you gotten here fifteen minutes earlier, we might have actually fought with you!" He snorted and Invi leaned on him as she tried to fight off her own giggles. The two felt like they haven't laughed that hard in AGES.

Aced gave them both a dumbfounded look. "That's...that's not funny. How is that funny?"

Ira raised his hand to his own mouth to chuckle. "No, they're right. That is funny."

As the three burst into small bursts of laughter again, Aced's look melted into one of amusement as he couldn't help chuckling as well. "I guess it kind of is."

Kairi gave a helpless look to the others, and even Master Aqua and Terra gave bewildered shrugs and looked to Ven who just shook his head and shrug with a "Don't look at me" expression on his face. Finally the princess cleared her throat loudly to get their attention. "Did I hear that right? You're not going to fight us?"

They all finally quieted and Invi nodded at the redhead. "That's right. The Master finally divulged his plan to us and we've all decided we don't want any part of it. So I think we're all in agreement. We're entrusting Sora's heart to you."

Axel dismissed his chakrams with a huge sigh of relief. "OH THANK GOODNESS!"

Isa smirked, "What, were you worried?"

"YEAH! A little!" the redhead admitted. "Wait," he looked around. "Where's Xigbar? Is he in on this too?"

"Xigbar?" Gula tilted his head. "Oh! You mean Luxu..."

All four stared at the floor solemnly, but Ira spoke first. "I'm afraid Luxu is no longer of this plane. His life was taken by the other occupant of that box." He pointed at the box behind the line of thrones.

Their gazes all followed where he was pointing and let out a collective gasp when they noticed the heart floating inside the glass case. The friends all rushed over , Kairi and Ven reaching the box first, their steps practically stampeding as they ran past the foretellers to check on Sora's heart. "What is this!?" Ven demanded.

Ira approached the concerned group cautiously, towering over them even as he leaned forward to turn off the switch that he saw the master turn on earlier. Upon doing so, the machine stopped whirring and the lights turned off. "It should be safe for you to free your friend's heart now," he explained.

But just as he said that, the heart made of black shards started clinking around in its jar, its pieces separating and unseparating as if trying to escape. "You sure about that?" Xion asked as she warily eyed the crystals going berserk.

Kairi also looked at them nervously as jar began to develop tiny little nicks. "What should we do? If those things get free, they're going to go after Sora's heart next, right? So should we just hurry up and free him?"

"But what if a heartless snatches it before it gets to him?" Axel asked.

"It should go straight to him," Aqua nodded.

"How do you know?" Ven asked.

"I just do. We have to believe," she said firmly.

Suddenly, the room shook violently, nearly toppling most of them over as they lost their balance. More broken glass crashed down to the floor as it shook loose from the already broken panes and the gears in the room clanged loudly as they temporarily lost alignment. "What was that!?" Xion asked as Isa caught her before she lost her balance.

"Riku and Roxas are fighting Bob!" Naminé explained through their headsets. "You need to release Sora's heart now!"

"Alright, let's do it!" Kairi stood back and aimed Destiny's Embrace at the mysterious box. "Nap time's over, Sora!" she called out as a beam of light shot from her keyblade and shattered the jar containing his heart. Once freed, it glowed brightly before flying through the air and disappearing before their very eyes. "Go get 'im, you lazy bum," she giggled.

"You're all good friends," Invi smiled.

The group collectively turned to look at the foretellers who were beginning to fade.

"Wait, where are you going?" Ven asked, pushing past Terra to talk to Gula, specifically.

"We're going back. We're not needed here any more," the young man explained. "You've done well, Ven. I'm glad you've made such good friends. Keep them close."

"Right!" Ven smiled happily.

"All of you, look after each other. It's too late for us. But I'm sure in your hands, the future is bright," Ira nodded.

"And keep an eye on Sora! Make sure he stays out of trouble," Aced added before the four of them finally disappeared.

"He shouldn't ask for the impossible," Isa huffed, earning a chuckle out of everyone.

It appeared things were finally going their way, but before they could even breathe a sigh of relief, the room shook again, this time so violently the box fell off its altar and smashed to the ground, releasing the crystal heart inside which immediately took the form of Sora!

"SORA!?" Xion cried out as she summoned her keyblade. "Wait, that's--"

"A copy!" Ven finished for her as he and the others summoned theirs as well. "You're not getting past us!"

"Everybody, be careful!" Mickey warned. "Don't let it touch you!"

"Shield group, be ready!" Master Aqua ordered.

But just as they readied their stances, Darkness Crystal Sora suddenly dispersed into many pieces and FLEW RIGHT PAST THEM, heading for the stairs. The group made chase, but the room shook once more, this time part of the ceiling came down with it.

"Shields!" Terra shouted, and the shield group protected all of them from the falling debris. They were all safe, but none of them had reached the stairs in time, which were now covered in rubble.

"Great, we'll never find those little suckers now!" Axel groaned as he shook the dust out of his hair.

"Naminé!" Kairi called over her head set. "You need to warn Riku and Roxas! The crystal shards are loose!"

"In the meantime, we should get out of here!" Mickey shouted. "This place is becoming unstable!"

"Right!" they all shouted. But just as they were getting ready to get a move on, the room began filling with heartless.

"So much for that!" groaned Goofy.

\- - - -

When Roxas separated from the others, he ran up the side of the building and simply crashed through one of the windows before he ran out of steam. It wasn't exactly the closest to the other two he could've landed, but his heart told him he was close. Judging by the number of heartless that were gathering for the stairs, he found it safe to assume he was right. With a smirk, he barreled through them, his body and keyblades a blur as he sliced through the mobs like a hot knife through butter. "I almost forgot how much fun this is," he grinned to himself as he sprinted for the stairs, his keyblades making tracks of light and darkness that damaged the surrounding enemies as he dragged them behind himself.

After about two floors, he decided he had enough fun and followed the same route that Sora and Riku took, just jumping his way up the stairs until he couldn't go any higher. Unfortunately, he doesn't have the same amount of stamina when it comes to jumping as the other two, so by the time his ascent ended, he was nearly out of breath, which only served to tick him off as more shadow heartless began to gather. "Come on, where are you?" he grumbled as he impatiently swiped at the heartless. No wonder Riku was hiding. There were way too many to take on while keeping an eye on Sora at the same time. "Well, too many for HIM, maybe," Roxas chuckled at his own snark before extending his arms and releasing both keyblades at his sides where they hovered and circled him while he summoned pillars of light to take out the surrounding numbers and clear a path for himself.

Once he found a clear floor, he surmised that Riku and Sora might've taken refuge nearby. He needed to hurry, though. He took out a lot of heartless, but they were respawning fast! He wouldn't be able to breathe for very long. He took a deep breath and wiped the sweat from his brow on the back of his gloved hand while he felt out the area. He had a precious few seconds to close his eyes and search for Riku with his heart. It took everything he had to block out all the distractions as he concentrated, the loud ticking and grinding of giant gears, the pitter pattering of heartless feet, he blocked it all out until he found it! A light in the dark! "Found you!" he shouted triumphantly through the headset before sprinting up another two flights of stairs and nearly stumbled as he dismissed the keyblades he was holding to wrench open a closet door where he found Riku and Sora curled up together. Panting hard, his wide grin immediately fell, "Really, guys?"

"Roxas!" Riku dismissed his keyblade that he had been startled into summoning when Roxas opened the door.

"Jeez, didn't you JUST hear me call for you on the headset?" the blonde groaned as he offered a hand to Sora to lift him off of Riku's lap.

"How did you find us?" Riku blinked in amazement as Sora took the offered hand and separated from Riku so the keyblade master could stand up.

"I searched for your heart, dummy. You're just as connected to all of us as Sora is. Seriously, who's the keyblade master here?" Roxas ribbed with a toothy smirk as Sora took to climbing the door to just hang from the top of it for...some reason. "I'm over here fighting heartless and you guys are making out in a closet!"

Riku felt a little taken aback, but he smiled warmly. "Well, thank you." He then huffed indignantly at the accusation. "We weren't making out! He doesn't even have a mouth!"

"He doesn't!?" Roxas gasped and looked over at Sora, who was now hanging upside down with one foot on the door he was trying to climb. "What's...he doing?"

Riku finally came out of the closet and looked at the other side of the door to see Sora hanging there. "I have no idea," he answered, just as bewildered.

"Well now that you two are finally out of the closet, we should get going," Roxas grinned just as Sora fell to the floor and landed on one hand before righting himself up. "Seriously! He's like a monkey!"

Riku rolled his eyes at the closet comment, but he wasn't going to dignify it with a response. "That, or a cat," he commented before summoning Braveheart once again. "We need to find Bob."

"Lead the way _Master_ Riku," Roxas smirked as he summoned Oathkeeper and Oblivion.

"Think you can keep up, rookie?" Riku grinned.

"I'll do my best," Roxas retorted sarcastically as he spun Oblivion around in his hand. Suddenly he cried out and doubled over in pain, dropping both keyblades as he nearly fell to his knees. "What...what is this!?" he struggled to talk as he clutched at his chest, his heart feeling like it was caught in a vice grip.

"Roxas!" Riku cried out as he too clutched his own heart. He had a good idea of what was happening, especially when he saw Sora curling up into a ball on the floor with his hands hands over his ears. They weren't the only ones, either. They could hear various cries of distress over their headsets as well. "S-Sora..." he groaned and looked down at his chest, a small golden chain dangled from it. It connected to nothing but air but then there was another one between him and Roxas as well, connecting both their hearts. "What..." as he grit his teeth through the pain, he dared to try and grab the chain and clenched it tight in his fist. _I won't let you have your way! I will protect my friends!_ He concentrated with all his might, thought about his friends, thought about Sora, thought about how badly he wanted to crush the Master of Masters. _I won't let you hurt them any more! I WILL rescue Sora!_ With that resolution, the chain in his grasp glowed a brilliant white as well as the chains connecting him and Roxas. When the light connected with Roxas's heart, the teen let out a gasp as his pain disappeared. All at once they heard sighs of relief through the headset as everybody assured each other that they were okay.

"Thank you, Riku!" Kairi called through the headset.

"But I didn't--"

"Yes, you did," Roxas nodded with a small genuine smile. "We all felt it. I told you, you're connected to us just as much as Sora is. Your bond with him and your light protected us."

"Do you really think...?" Riku stared at Roxas in disbelief as he looked down at his own hand that was now clutching at nothing but air. Whatever the Master was doing with Sora's heart had apparently stopped.

"Why is it so hard for you to believe?" Roxas asked as he nudged his shoulder with his own. "You still have the key to Sora's heart, right? And Sora wouldn't want his friends to be hurt. So as long as you're connected, Bob won't be able to hurt anybody for long, not as long as we still have you. Your belief in us helped us fight him off, too...as did our belief in you."

"Roxas..."

"Now let's get moving before Bob catches wise. We want to get the jump on him, right? Not the other way around."

"Right!" Riku smiled.

Together, the three made their way up at least four more flights of stairs before the heartless started gathering in much bigger numbers than ever before. Sora lent his dark power to Riku to aid his attacks while he and Roxas actually found a way to link their attacks together, summoning columns of light AND darkness as they worked in sync as if they've done this sort of thing before. Once they cleared out another floor, Riku praised them, "Good teamwork, you two!"

"Same to you," Roxas grinned, pleased with the praise but then sighed as he let his shoulders finally relax. "Look, I hate to complain--"

"No, you don't," Riku interrupted.

"You're right," Roxas admitted. "But look, if I'm being honest, we can't keep this pace up. If we keep taking out every heartless we see, we're not going to have anything left for Bob."

"I know. You're right, but the only faster way I can think of is to scale the tower from the outside and Sora can't use flowmotion in that form," Riku pointed out.

"I can't use flowmotion either," Roxas pointed out. But just as he was about to make some other smartass remark, he heard something that sounded like a guitar. "Wait, shut up, do you hear that?"

"Hear wh--"

"SHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" Roxas loudly hissed as he dismissed his keyblade and put his hand up to his ear that wasn't covered in an earpiece. "I know that sound! Follow me!" Roxas ordered as he grabbed Sora's hand and sprinted with him down a hall.

"Wait! Roxas!" Riku growled as he dismissed Braveheart to sprint after Roxas and Sora, who thought they were having a race and let go of Roxas's hand to gallop in front of the two of them, even though he had no idea where they were going. "Roxas, the stairs are THAT way!"

"We're not taking the stairs!" Roxas explained as he followed the sound to a locked door and summoned oathkeeper to unlock it before barging inside where he found Demyx lounging on a couch strumming his sitar. "DEMYX!"

"YOU!" Riku practically roared with fury as he summoned Braveheart, ready to take the blonde's head off!

"Roxas!" Demyx greeted excitedly, despite the sudden intrusion, only to follow it up with a high-pitched squeal of fear as he tumbled off the couch to flee from Riku's oncoming wrath. "WAIT WAIT WAIT WAIT!!!"

"Chill out!" Roxas scolded, grabbing Riku by the wrist to stop him, which earned an even angrier growl from the elder teen so he quickly released him.

"You don't understand! This guy is the reason Sora lost his heart!" he practically spat as he turned his attention back to the musician cowering in the corner.

Sora meanwhile paid nobody any attention as he crawled over to the sitar that had fallen to the floor and crouched next to it, curiously strumming one of the strings with a clawed index finger. _Dnn dnn dnn~_

"I didn't KNOW that was going to happen, I swear!" Demyx practically cried as he feared for his life. Riku's eyes had turned very dark green and they were really scary! "You gotta believe me! I just thought I was playing this cool song!" he whimpered while he put his hands over his head and feared for the worst.

Roxas studied Demyx blankly for a second before saying, "Yeah, I could see that happening."

"You don't seriously believe him??" Riku turned his glare onto Roxas while keeping his keyblade pointed at the cowering blonde.

"What, does THIS look like a criminal mastermind to you?" he indicated with an open hand at Demyx. "Demyx is...a lot. But he's not a liar. Whatever happened, you know it wasn't his idea!"

"I'm sorry, I really am!" Demyx sniffled, finally peering out from beneath his arms. "I didn't know they were going to do that to Sora. I thought it had something to do with controlling that other little dude, at the very least. You know, the cranky one! I'm really really sorry!"

Riku sighed and dismissed his keyblade to cross his arms. He wasn't ready to forgive the guy, but it did seem that he was roped into the whole situation. Plus, if it weren't for him taking creative liberties with the last part of the song, he doubted Sora would've been able to take down the walls when he did. But before he could say anything, Roxas got between him and Demyx.

"Come on, if stupidity were a sin, Riku over here would be in no position to throw any stones," he ribbed playfully.

"Watch it," Riku growled.

"Besides, I think you can make it up to us with a repeat performance. What do you say?" Roxas offered him a hand to stand up with.

"What!?" Riku and Demyx asked in surprise.

"You're asking him to help us!?" Riku shouted in disbelief.

"You're asking _me_ to help!?" Demyx asked with even more disbelief as he took the offered hand and let Roxas pull him off the floor.

"Think about it!" he looked to Riku. "If the song is that powerful, surely you two could use it to your advantage?"

Demyx squinted as he rubbed the back of his neck, "Well, I guess it DID really pump up Sora. AND it calms the other little dude. So I guess I could be of help if you reeeally want it. I mean, I can't say no to a fan, now can I?"

"What do you say, Riku?" Roxas asked. "Shall we ask him for an encore?"

Riku looked between the two of them and sighed, "Fine. Do this for us and I'll let you off the hook."

"YES!" Demyx pumped his fist before grabbing his sitar off the ground. "Leave it to me! Demyx will knock your socks off!" he grinned confidently with a thumbs up.

"Just make sure you stay out of the way," Riku groaned.

"You don't have to worry about that!" Demyx chuckled. "So where am I conducting this next performance?"

"Well, do you have any idea where the Master of Masters might be?" the Keyblade Master asked, though he wasn't too hopeful.

"'Fraid not," Demyx shrugged. "This place rearranges itself all the time. They gave me a room to sleep in, but I could never find it, so I've just been hanging out in this lounge or next to the little guy's jail cell whenever Xigbar couldn't be bothered to keep him company."

"Said "little guy" isn't still around, is he?" Roxas asked.

"He must be. I didn't get a chance to beat him when we fought," Riku admitted.

"Jeez, can you not do ANYTHING right?" Roxas sighed exasperatedly.

"Enough!" Riku shouted as he turned to leave. "Let's get going!"

Roxas whistled as he waved for Sora and Demyx to follow. "Whoo-whee, temper temper." He felt a tugging on his jacket and looked down to see Sora tugging on his sleeve with a blank look. "It's okay. He's a big boy, he can handle it," Roxas snickered.

"I said let's go!" Riku shouted, already way ahead of them as he bee-lined for the stairs.

Demyx sighed as he followed, not too pleased by the idea of walking. "Wait, now that I think about it. There's this sweet little throne room that'd be perfect to jam out in!"

"Wait, throne room?" Riku stopped.

"Yeah! It's near the top. Big and empty. Giant stained glass windows. Kinda looks like a cathedral! And it has this metal-looking throne in the back of it. Like I wanted to pose for an album cover but Xiggy wouldn't help me take a picture and I couldn't get the whole thing in a selfie--"

"Do you know how to get there?" Riku asked as patiently as he could through gritted teeth.

"No, I told you! I don't know how to get anywhere. I just use corridors of darkness!" Demyx explained as if it were the most obvious answer in the world. As if to illustrate his point, he took the liberty of summoning one right there. "Come on, I'll show you. I don't like walking that much anyway," he waved for them to follow and entered it, leaving the group almost dumbfounded (save for Sora, who just followed him without question).

"This guy's an idiot!" Riku hung his head tiredly.

"Yeah, good thing he's on our side now," Roxas said cheerfully. "Come on, slowpoke!" he goaded as he ran after Sora.

"Hey, wait up!" Riku called after them as he jumped down from the stairwell to hurry after them before the corridor closed.

While the four traversed the corridor behind Demyx, Roxas casually bumped the cranky keyblade master. "Hey, remember when we talked about a distraction earlier?"

"Yeah, why?" Riku asked.

"I think it's still a good idea," Roxas grinned deviously.

Riku smirked, "You have my attention."

Demyx looked down at Sora who's been quietly galloping beside him. "So no hard feelings, Sora? I'll jam out extra hard for you. So cheer me on, okay?"

Sora peered up at Demyx with his glowing eyes for a moment before straightening up to awkwardly clap?

"Yeah! I knew you were cool," Demyx laughed. "High-five, little dude!" he cheered as he raised a hand, but clearly didn't get the desired result as Sora flinched at the raised hand and ran behind Riku instead.

"Eek! Sorry!" Demyx apologized.

Riku didn't catch any of that, only that Sora had apparently been frightened so he gave Demyx another dark glare.

"I'm sorryyyyyyy!!" the blonde squealed.

"Come on, you two," Roxas groaned. "Like anybody would ACTUALLY be scared of Demyx."

"Heeeey! I can be intimidating when I want to be!" the musician protested.

"Uh-huh, since when?" the other blonde smirked.

Demyx stopped and gave Roxas a long, serious stare that actually stopped Roxas dead in his tracks. After a short silence, the man burst into a huge grin and ran over to give Roxas a noogie, "DAAAAAAW, YOU'RE SO CUTE, ROXAS! I CAN'T STAY MAD AT YOU!!"

"Let me go!" Roxas whined as he tried to escape this clutches. "Get off of me!"

"How much further?" Riku asked. "I don't how much longer we should stay in here." He pointed to Sora who seems to be getting more heartless-like by the minute with the way he stayed low to the ground and twitched randomly.

"We're almost there! Just about!" Demyx released Roxas. "As long as you guys are ready, that is. If he's in there, I don't want you to blame me for throwing you into a battle you aren't prepared for. After I drop you off, I'll find a good spot to play for you."

"We're counting on you. Don't ditch us," Riku warned.

"Don't worry, I got you! It's Demyx time!" he winked.

The three teens exited the darkness corridor and found themselves in a large room just like Demyx had described. It really did look like a splendid cathedral but at the center window they could see the face of the clock as light shown in through its glass face to illuminate the large gears clicking away inside. Everywhere else, the windows were stained glass and the floors were white marble decorated with intricate symbols that Riku didn't recognize. At the center of it all was a large black throne with blood-red satin upholstery. The three cautiously ventured forward and looked all around for any signs of the Master of Masters. If he were to be anywhere, surely this would be the place.

"THERE YOU ARE!" A voice rang from behind them, making them all turn around. "I've been looking everywhere for you!"

Roxas summoned both his keyblades immediately, the hairs on the back of his neck already bristling at the sight of the cloaked figure. He'd seen this guy in the visions Sora's heart showed him, heard his voice as he taunted and kicked him around. It was already enough to make him see red.

"There YOU are!" Riku shouted as he summoned Braveheart. "I'm going to tear you apart once and for all!"

"Save the dreaming for the other timeline, Master Riku," the Master chuckled at his own little joke as he summoned No Name.

"Other timeline...?" Roxas's brows furrowed.

"Yes, you see--Wait," the Master looked taken aback. "Sora? No...that's Sora!" he pointed to Sora who was crouched next to Riku and then pointed to Roxas. "Wait wait, don't tell me...which Sorta are you again?"

"WHAT DID YOU JUST CALL ME!?" the blonde roared with fury as circles of light and dark started glowing on the floor.

"ENOUGH! This ends now!" Riku shouted. "You're done!" Together the two dashed at the Master, disappearing and reappearing in streaks of light and dark only to both be blocked by No Name.

"You're absolutely right!" the master agreed, violently swinging his blade and surprising both of them with his strength as he threw them off and began summoning dark chains from the ground. "Except for that last part, of course," he corrected before sending the chains after the both of them.

The teens fought off the chains, metal clashed against metal while Roxas repeatedly threw up pillars of light to disintegrate the chains only for them to come back again.

"Careful, Roxas! You're going to wear yourself out!" Riku warned as he took another swipe at the Master who deftly dodged while also trying to outrun another set of chains.

"You look out for yourself!" Roxas shouted back.

"You're such a pain in the ass!" Riku huffed as he and Roxas circled around and pressed back to back to watch out for each other while they fought off the spiked chains.

"Shut it, or I'll tell Sora all about how you tried to kiss me in the woods earlier!" Roxas threatened.

"OOOOOOOOH! Master Riku! I'm surprised at you!" the Master gasped as he paid more attention to the two, resting the side of his head on his palm as if he were watching an interesting melodrama. "What _would_ Sora think?"

"I DID NO SUCH THING!" the keyblade master protested as he used his shot lock to send waves of dark firaga blasts at the chains, completely shattering them only for more to come out from the floor. "Damnit!"

"Did too! You pinned me against the tree and everything!" Roxas insisted as he tossed Riku an ether and began using reversal to dodge more of the chains.

"That's not what that was and you know it!" Riku insisted as he used the ether to cast lightning.

"Such a shame when good friends fight," the Master snickered. "I wish I had some popcorn."

"Naminé, tell them!" Roxas called over the headset as he deflected another spearhead hard enough that it ricocheted back at the Master who had to dodge to avoid getting struck.

"HEY, WATCH IT!" the master shook his fist with all the ferocity of an old man shouting at a kid to get off his lawn.

"Naminé, you were listening, right? You know that's not what happened!" Riku pleaded over the mic.

"Um, I heard a lot of clothes rustling so...I can't say for sure," Naminé said shyly though Riku could practically HEAR the smile on her lips.

"SEE! You were all over me!" Roxas cackled as he ricocheted another one, this time at Riku.

"Naminé? Is that another Sorta?" the Master wondered out loud. "I think Luxy mentioned her before."

Riku knocked the ricocheted spear head back at Roxas! "That's not--"

Roxas knocked it back, adding another one to the pile. "Your face was thiiiiiiiis close--"

"OH RIGHT! LIKE YOU DON'T WANT IT!" Riku shouted as he swiped his keyblade hard enough to send THREE spear heads at Roxas.

"HOW DARE YOU!?" Roxas gasped, twisting and bopping the spearheads back and forth between his keyblades to twist FOUR together before swinging both keyblades back and knocking the braid back to Riku.

"You know you want this!" Riku cackled. "Practically begging for it!" He knocked the whole braid back while getting closer to Roxas.

"YOU BASTARD!" the blonde shouted as he got closer and knocked it back to Riku.

"SHORT STACK!" the elder teen repeated the motion, getting even closer.

"You know what, I lied! I DON'T like you that much at all! Go suck on some beans for all I care!" They just needed one good lunge!

"I'll tell you what YOU can suck on!" Riku shouted just before the two of them DASHED for each other, meeting at the coil of chains between them and SMACKING IT with all their might right back at the Master who was too involved in their argument to even realize what was happening.

"YIPE!!" the Master shouted as the pile of chains ricocheted at his feet, the massive metal pile having barely missed him. "HA! YOU MISSED ME!"

"You know, I wonder what Sora would think about this?" Roxas asked.

Right on cue, Sora suddenly lunged at the Master's back as if out of nowhere and grappled the man from behind, ripping and shredding at his coat with his claws like a rabid animal!

"GET OFF OF ME!!" the Master of Masters flailed as he tried to redirect the chains at the heartless keyblader on his back, but Riku and Roxas would not let the offending chains come to his aid, knocking them away as Sora continued to rip and ravage and tear at the Master wherever he could reach.

Finally, the Master grabbed a hold of Sora and threw him to the ground, about to plunge No Name into his face, but Sora grabbed the keyblade with his bare hands and threw it AND the Master down to the floor. Darkness came off his body in waves as he rose into the air and summoned balls of black fire to rain hell down upon the man who scrambled to get up, his coat quickly becoming enflamed until little was left except the black clothes he wore underneath. When even the hood burned away, all that was left to cover his face was a tightly bound face covering, only revealing one bright blue eye that matched the one on No Name. But Sora wasn't done! He rose into the air even higher and came down hard, sending his feet into the Master's chest with a hard STOMP before doing it AGAIN and AGAIN and AGAIN. When he came down the fourth time, he was ready to claw the man's chest apart, but this time the Master was ready, grabbing him by the throat and throwing him a fair distance away where Riku dashed to catch him. "SORA!"

The Master got to his feet and coughed violently as the black symbols painted on the floor began to glow with an eerie light. "You..." he growled. "You ruined...my coat!"

Roxas wasn't going to stand around to find out what the glowing symbols meant, quickly dodging the crazy chains to get as far away from the circle as possible, half-dragging Riku out of the way as well while the teen dragged Sora. Just when they thought they were out of harm's way, a pillar of light shot up from the circles on the ground. When the blinding light cleared, six keyblades, including No Name surrounded the Master of Masters.

"Wait...I recognize a couple of those! Those are the foretellers' keyblades!" Roxas exclaimed, making note of the Gazing Eyes that they all had on their keychains.

"The what--? Never mind. Stay on your guard!" Riku shouted over the noise as the floor suddenly began to rumble. Above their heads, it appeared that the Master's stunt had burned a huge hole in the ceiling and what wasn't vaporized was now crumbling and crashing on the floor all around them. As they dodged falling rubble, Sora found himself being chased by one of the keyblades and began dashing around to avoid it while Roxas had to fight off two more.

Riku also put up a barrier to fight off the others, but one was still missing. Where was No Name?

Suddenly, the Master of Masters was within arm's length of Riku, right within striking range as the keyblades attacking Riku broke through his shield. Everything felt like it was moving in slow-motion as he found himself frozen in the Master's one-eyed gaze. In that moment, his heart stopped and he felt his breath catch in his throat as he stumbled back from the force of his barrier being destroyed. He could barely hear Roxas calling out to him. Everything seemed to fade into the background as he saw nothing but No Name lunging for him and the Master's voice cackling in his ears, "You're mine!"

"NOOOOOOOOOOOO!!"

_Sora!?_

Suddenly Sora was in front of him, deflecting the Master's attack! Just like he did against Aqua in the Realm of Darkness. Sora's heart was back! "SORA!"

"HOW CAN THIS BE!?" the Master shouted furiously as he pulled back and aimed another strike at Sora, who again blocked it.

"It's over, Bob!" Sora shouted defiantly as he threw off the other's attack and began striking back with all his might, one foot after the other. "You're not taking Riku's heart! I WON'T LET YOU!"

"Sora!" Riku shouted, about to reach out for him but Roxas grabbed his arm real quick.

"Riku! I think you two got this. Kairi says the crystal heart has escaped. I'm going after it!" Roxas explained.

"Right! Thanks, Roxas!" he bumped fists with the blonde. "Be careful!" he shouted after him as the blonde disappeared amongst the rubble.

Riku hurried to Sora's side. Now that they were together again, they felt unstoppable! Together, they followed the Master of Masters as he fled through the ceiling and onto the roof! It was up there that they heard Demyx play their song as loud as his amps could possibly allow without blowing out and the two couldn't help grinning at each other even as they prepared for the fight of their lives.

\- - - -

Roxas panted hard as he ran down the stairs. He had no idea where to even start looking but he had to try! He was exhausted from the fight so far, much more tired than he cared to admit. "Hope Riku and Sora will be okay," he panted but then shook his head. "They'll be fine. They're together. They'll be fine! I need to focus!"

As he looked around the now seemingly-barren floors, he took a moment to catch his breath, dismissing both keyblades as he leaned over with his hands on his knees while his lungs desperately gulped for air. Sweat dripped down his forehead, forcing him to close his eyes as the salt stung them. He wiped it away furiously with the back of his sleeve as he tried to think. "This wouldn't have happened if Riku just finished the job," he panted. "Why couldn't he?" he wondered out loud.

"A crystal Sora, huh?" he straightened up. "Maybe...that's why?" With a deep breath, he concentrated just like before. He put his faith into his connection with Sora, tracing the bond born not just of friendship, but through the bond only a somebody and their nobody could share. He could sense Sora fighting on the roof with Riku, but there was something else too, a tiny glimmer...a glimmer that could barely be called a speck in a seemingly never-ending sea of darkness. "That's it!" Roxas's eyes snapped open as he grinned triumphantly. "I see you! Hang on, I'm coming!" he called out as he dove off the stairwell and free fell at least 15 stories, his coat fluttering all around him as he counted the floors before he allowed himself to grab one and swing onto the platform. From there, he went down two more flights of stairs, took a left, then a right, until finally he arrived at a dark, half-destroyed room with what appeared to be a lone figure cowering in the corner, a figure whose body reflected what little light was in the room.

"Hello?" Roxas called out softly so as not to startle the creature. Said creature looked up so quickly it startled Roxas instead. It really did look like Sora if Sora were made out of crystal. "I get it now," the blonde whispered as he carefully approached. "Hey, it's okay, you don't have to be afraid. Demyx said he was looking after you for a while. Were you looking for him?"

The cowering figure curled up even tighter into himself as it attempted to hide its injured arm from Roxas while giving the blonde the meanest glare it could manage. Instead of being intimidated, Roxas chuckled softly. "Hey, I get it, okay? Take it from a guy who's also been born from Sora. It's tough, I know. I'm probably one of the only people who would have a good idea of what you've gone through." He offered a hand out to the cowering creature. "You can come out now. I'll take you to Sora."

The crystal being stared at the offered hand suspiciously and shook his head, fear clearly glimmering in his eyes as they caught the small rays of florescent light coming in from the hall.

Roxas tilted his head and noticed the creature clutching his own arm. "Are you hurt? Can I see? I promise I won't hurt you."

The creature's shoulders raised and then lowered as if he realized he didn't have much else to lose before he extended his arm for Roxas to see. The hand he had attempted to rip Riku's heart out with was now clear quartz crystal and it didn't just end at his hand. The transformation was now crawling up his entire forearm, now almost reaching his elbow, as if the crystal his body was made of was slowly getting purified. "Oh...does it hurt?"

The crystal being merely bit his lower lip in response before retracting his arm to hide it again. "I see...you don't know what's happening and you're scared. Like I said, I get it. I'll be honest, you have every right to be scared. I was on my way here to get rid of you but I realized...you have a bit of Sora's heart in you, don't you?"

The dark figure glanced up, its expression softening as the corners of his lips turned into the barest hints of a smile, his form fading for a moment so Roxas could see the crystal shards that made up his actual form, free floating in a constellation-like pattern that made up an outline of his body while in the center glimmered something so small Roxas almost didn't see it but when he did, he recognized it immediately: a tiny red jewel in the center of a gathering of black crystals...a small fragment of its original host's heart that glimmered like a ruby; a lone red star in a sky of black clouds.

"That's why you're afraid, huh? You just want to live," Roxas whispered and finally the creature nodded, an answer he could understand. "I feel you. I've been there too," the blonde sympathized. "But what will you do? You can't stay here forever. If you come with me, I can at least make sure that nobody else will hurt you." It was becoming very clear to him that as badly as this poor creature want to live, he was no longer a threat to anybody else, otherwise he would've hurt Roxas already. "If you won't hurt Sora, I'll take you to him. Deal?" he offered his gloved hand one last time. "Don't worry, you can't hurt me through these gloves. Just don't scratch me," he snickered.

The Sora doppelganger smiled and nodded before finally accepting Roxas's offered hand.

\- - - -

On the rooftop, Sora and Riku fought the Master of Masters and his six keyblades valiantly with everything they had while Demyx played their heart song for them. It gave them boundless energy as their hearts beat to its rhythm, even though both should have been exhausted by now. It fueled them, made their bond stronger, gave them the courage to keep going even as chains have swiped them both more than once. Eventually they found a rhythm that seemed to wear the Master out as well, and they kept at it with everything they had. Finally, an opening was in sight and they only had to look at each other to know what attack they wanted to do!

"OATH OF THE STARS!" they shouted together. Using the link attack they learned together in their dreams during their journey together, the sky suddenly turned dark as if it were night-time and filled with thousands of twinkling stars.

"STAR STUNNER!" they shouted next, said stars suddenly gleaming brightly with the light of a thousand suns to temporarily blind the one-eyed man who groaned loudly before finally they shouted "METEOR BOND!" and brought both their hands down to rain hundreds of meteors made of light with tails of darkness upon the Master who struggled to protect himself against the seemingly endless barrage until finally his defnses could hold up no longer and he faltered, stumbling back just as Sora and Riku came crashing down on him with one last combined attack, the two coming down hard and fast like a meteor themselves with a trail of light and darkness as their keyblades collided with the Master and sent him DOWN DOWN DOWN not just through the hole in the roof, but through the floor and the next floor after that. In fact, they went down FIVE floors before they finally stopped to find they had crashed landed in the middle of another wide open room.

But just as they thought that would be the end of it, a blast of dark energy burst from the Master's chest, sending both keyblade wielders flying across the room before they regained their balance and landed on the floor, breathing hard as it finally hit them that they didn't have much else left. When the Master stood up, Sora was beside himself with disbelief. "URRRRRRRRGH! STAY DOWN!" he shouted as he jumped up and switched his keychain to the kingdom key to activate his shotlock. "KING OF HEARTS!" he roared with all his might as he sent a barrage of blows at the man before he dared to make another move. When the smoke cleared, both were shocked to see the master still standing and he was laughing like a maniac. It was a laugh that made Sora's blood run ice cold and he found himself fumbling as he hurried to switch keychains again to bring ultima back.

"Did you really just say "King of Hearts"? That really is fitting, don't you think?" the Master cackled as he cracked his neck from side to side obscenely and rotated his shoulder until he rolled it back into place with a sickening pop. "In fact, it's downright hilarious!"

"Give it up, Bob!" Riku shouted. "It's over!"

"MY NAME IS NOT BOB!" the Master screamed while stomping his foot so hard that it shattered the marble beneath him and got his foot stuck. He growled in frustration as he tugged to yank it out. "See, you made me lose my temper! Now look what you made me do!"

The display made cold sweat pour down the back of Sora's neck. He just stomped a hole in the floor by ACCIDENT! Meanwhile he and Riku could barely stand! "Just...what are you?" he asked.

"I told you...I am the Master of Masters," the masked figure chuckled darkly. "Even if by some miracle you defeat me here, there are other timelines where I still exist. Once I conquer those, this one will affected as well. So it really doesn't matter what happens here."

"ENOUGH!" Sora shouted in defiance. "I don't care what timeline you're in or what time or wherever you are, WE WILL ALWAYS STOP YOU! No matter what! You won't win!"

"Did you forget, Sora? In one of those timelines, you aren't even alive!" the Master cackled.

Riku felt his body freeze and his throat close up at this information. There's really an alternate timeline out there without Sora? Just the very idea made his heart race and he felt his chest tighten in panic, but Sora's voice next to him got even louder, snapping him out of it with his determined words.

"That doesn't matter! I have faith in my friends. Even if I'm not around, I'll be alive in their hearts! And together, we will defeat you! AS ONE!" he shouted as his body glowed with a golden light. With his keyblade held high in the air, beams of light shot forth from it, opening portals of light all around them. From within, all of their friends appeared one by one, ready to assist.

"If only you knew what I knew," the Master sighed and shook his head as if he pitied the army of keybladers before him. "It's such a shame...all of that power, the power to change worlds, all going to waste." He looked to Riku who still hasn't said a word. "Tell me, how would you feel, Master Riku, if you knew that Sora had the power of Kingdom Hearts, but didn't use it to return home to you? That he faded away without so much as a good-bye?"

Riku clenched his fists and looked to Sora who he just now realized was staring at him, wondering what his answer would be, too. "It wouldn't matter," Riku said firmly as he softly gazed at Sora. "I would believe in Sora, no matter what. It might be lonely without him for a while. But, I would never stop looking for him. I know we'd find each other again...with our own strength."

Sora nodded as he smiled widely, "Right!" The brunette suddenly got a sly grin on his face and looked back to the Master of Masters. "You know, I heard everything you said while you had me in that little box of yours. I don't think my friends appreciated that stunt you pulled, right?"

"RIGHT!" everybody shouted along with other curses and taunts that echoed throughout the room.

"Wait," the Master pointed at Ventus. "Weren't you here before? No, that was YOU!" he pointed to Roxas who had also been summoned. Behind him he clutched the hand of Darkness Crystal Sora who stood up straight and proud as he glared at the Master from behind Roxas. "How many Sorta's are there!?"

Oh that really pissed Roxas off as evidenced by how quickly he let go of the Sora doppelganger's hand so he could summon Oathkeeper and Oblivion. "SHUT UP! We're our own people! We're not Nobodies anymore!"

"I didn't call you Nobodies. I called you Sortas!" the Master sighed as he clarified. "You know, you're sort of Sora!"

"No, we're not sort of anything! Sora is his own person and so are we!"

"But you're all born from his heart in some way or fashion. Doesn't it bother you that your entire existence is solely linked to his? And now your lives are forever bound to him, a debt that you could never repay?"

"SO WHAT? I'm proud to have been part of Sora's heart!" Roxas admitted!

Xion stepped forward, "ME TOO!"

Ven straightened up as well, "And me as well!"

Kairi even spoke up, "AND ME!" She smiled brightly at Sora while Naminé also shouted through their headsets, "Same here!"

Sora looked at all of them and could feel himself tearing up. "Guys..."

Master Aqua spoke up, "Whether we were born from his heart or not, we owe our lives to Sora. He's as much a part of our hearts as we are of his. Not one of us regrets that even for a second! Wherever he goes, we will follow. Anybody who dares get in our way will be destroyed." She glared icily at the masked man. "That includes you."

"I'd like to see you try," the Master taunted confidently as he summoned No Name once more. "One way or another, Sora, I WILL have your heart."

"Oh, we don't even have to try!" Sora suddenly laughed, bringing all the attention back on him. "Like I said, I heard everything that you were talking about inside that box. And you were right...all this power I have...it's just too much for one person to have! So how about I share it with you. In fact, you can have all of it!" he grinned mischievously and for once, the Master actually looked frightened. "Ready, everybody?"

"Ready!" everybody cheered as they raised their keyblades into the air, all of them glowed brilliantly as they lent their power to Sora through the connections of their hearts.

Sora held his keyblade in front of him as a glowing crown appeared at his feet, wind suddenly flowing all around him as he floated into the air with his keyblade held high. He let it go and it separated into many more keyblades made of light. "So I heard you like my keyblade collection, huh? Well you can have 'em! TOGETHER!"

The room erupted with shouts of "HAAAAAAA!" as one by one, every keyblade wielder shot a beam of light at the Master while Sora threw one keyblade after another, each one a symbol of a bond he's made with another, a physical representation of his memories of adventure, a gift of friendship, a token of hope! One by one, they sliced through their foe! Kingdom Key, Jungle King, Three Wishes, Crabclaw, Pumpkinhead, Fairy Harp, Wishing Star, Spellbinder, Metal Chocobo, Olympia, Lionheart, Oathkeeper, Oblivion, Lady Luck, Divine Rose, Diamond Dust, One-Winged Angel, Star Seeker, Hidden Dragon, Hero's Crest, Monochrome, Follow the Wind, Circle of Life, Photon Debugger, Rumbling Rose, Mysterious Abyss, Wishing Lamp, Sweet Memories, Guardian Soul, Decisive Pumpkin, Gullwing, Sleeping Lion, Bond of Flame, Two Become One, Fatal Crest, Winner's Proof, Fenrir, Hero's Origin, Shooting Star, Favorite Deputy, Ever After, Happy Gear, Crystal Snow, Wheel of Fate, Nano Gear, Starlight, Hunny Spout, Classic Tone, Grand Chef, Midnight Blue, Phantom Green, Dawn till Dusk, and finally Ultima Blade!

By now, the Master was a heaving, smoking mess on the floor. "Oh wait! I'm sorry! You wanted this one!" Sora smirked as he summoned the χ-blade next, earning a gasp from everybody, especially Riku. "In fact, you can have it! I don't want it anymore!" He shouted as he ran forward several feet and tossed it like a javelin at the cowering Master who caught it with his chest and went flying across the room to be pinned against the wall.

"Wait..." he gasped as he struggled against the blade pierced through his middle. "Wait!"

"It's over for you!" Sora roared. "Ready, Riku?"

"Right!" Riku grinned and together they rose in the air to summon their ultimate combined keyblade! With a slash to end all nightmares and disperse all illusions, the rainbow keyblade of their hearts came crashing down on the Master of Masters AND the χ-blade, destroying them both with one fell swoop. When the blinding light faded and everybody could see again, the Master was gone.

At long last, the battle had been won.

"We...we did it!" Sora cried and turned to run into Riku's already waiting arms. "WE DID IT, RIKU!"

"We did it!" Riku practically cried as he lifted Sora into the air and spun him around. Despite feeling so exhausted he also felt exhilarated. Lighter, even!

"Wait, guys!" Roxas shouted over all the cheering and stepped forward with the crystal Sora in tow. "There's one more thing."

The room fell silent as they all stared at the poor creature in front of them. By now, his body was almost completely clear quartz. The only thing left was his head and from within, the purified crystals looked like glittering stars. Riku nearly dropped Sora as a sob escaped his mouth. He couldn't believe what he was seeing!

"Riku?" Sora asked worriedly as the elder teen set him down and watched as he walked over to the crystal being.

The crystal Sora stepped out from behind Roxas and smiles softly up at Riku. A tear falls from Riku's eye and he doesn't know why. But for a brief moment, he feels like he connected someone...someone in pain and with a desperate wish.

Crystal Sora turns to look at Sora, his body fading away as he offers his hands out, revealing a tiny gemstone-sized piece of Sora's heart in his outstretched palms.

Sora smiled warmly and moved his hands over the cold crystal digits to close them up again. "Please, take it with you. I never really paid the price for what I have done. This is the least I can do. Besides, the other Sora might need it."

The crystal doppelganger smiled happily and nodded before turning back to Riku, smiling sadly as he reaches out to touch him, his hand pressing gently over Riku's heart before fading away completely with a twinkling of hundreds of tiny lights, floating away like fireflies into the ether of the unknown.

At last, their mission was over. The threat to the worlds eliminated.

\- * - * - * - * - * - * - * - * - * - * - * - * - * - * - * - * - * - * - * - * - * - * - * -

Far away, in a land of sea and sky, Sora awakens on his back, staring at a seemingly never-ending expanse of stars. He knew this place. This is the Final World, isn't it? He didn't expect to find himself back here. With a groan, he struggles to sit up and stares at his hands, flexing them carefully. "At least...I'm all here."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all so much for your love and support you've given this fic! I hope you'll stay tuned for the Epilogue! Also as a special thank you to all my amazing readers, especially those of you who have been reading and commenting and encouraging me since chapter one, there will also be a bonus chapter full of "bloopers" and "deleted scenes" for your enjoyment!
> 
> Again, thank you so much! Your support and kind words have really meant a lot to me and I hope many more will continue to enjoy this fic. I've grown really attached to this story arch as well and I'm considering making a sequel, or at least a series of drabbles. Depends on what Melody of Memory has to offer us, am I right? *wink wink*
> 
> On that note, I'll end this here. Stay tuned for the Epilogue. We're not done yet! ;)


	61. Epilogue: Claire de Lune

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A proposal in the Symphony of Sorcery.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Based on this deleted scene from Fantasia:  
[Claire de Lune](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k8JwihcysWo)

_"Mom, Dad...Riku and I have something to show you."_

That was four years ago, but the way that memory still makes Riku's heart flutter makes it seem like it happened only yesterday. He can still remember every small detail. He remembers what Sora was wearing (red super groupies hoody with black jeans and yellow high top sneakers), how he faintly smelled of hibiscus from picking flowers for his mother, how sweaty both their clasped hands were, and how loud the large photo album they made sounded as its leather cover gently scraped across the worn wooden coffee table as Sora pushed it towards his parents.

He can remember Sora's parents' eyes lighting up with delight as they poured over the pages of photos that they so carefully selected from their gummi phones and from their own friends' collections. There was a story they wanted to tell: their story. It had to be perfect. Said volume ended up being pretty heavy and even then there were so many more they wanted to put in. He can't remember everything that Sora said...he spoke so much...but he remembers his mother's smile and the way his dad looked up and smiled at HIM before glancing back at Sora and then back down to the album draped over both their laps. It put him slightly at ease, enough to loosen his grip slightly on Sora's hand. He could remember enough that Sora was having trouble getting to the point, to the reason why they made this album. That's when he realized he himself hadn't contributed anything to the conversation. But then his mother laughed gently and pointed to one photo and said it for the both of them.

"Look at this one! You two look so in love!" she giggled giddily. She pointed to a picture of Sora's birthday party during the fireworks show, a picture contributed by Roxas when they all gathered at the Mysterious Tower to assist them in in their endeavor. They gathered around a warm fireplace for hours going through photos, printing them out one at a time while Kairi carefully helped them sort them and glue them in. Out of nowhere Roxas mumbled, "Eh, you can have this one, I guess?" and showed it to them: a vertical shot of Sora and Riku gazing into each other's eyes as the fireworks lit up the sky above them. He insisted he was just trying to take pictures of the fireworks "but you lovebirds got in the way" but the way the glowing lanterns framed the shot beautifully and lit the pair in a dim glow as the colorful fireworks cast colorful light in their hair just seemed too perfect. It really stood out amongst all the other photos on that page, so of course Sora's mother's eyes would be drawn to it.

Riku's tongue suddenly felt too big for his mouth but he managed to say it, and Sora did too.

"We are."

Sora's mom gasped, practically squealed even as she clasped her hands together and Sora's dad gave the biggest smile Riku's ever seen him give before he said, "I'm happy for you kids. You're going to give me a couple of years before the wedding, right?" he chuckled.

He remembered all of them laughing and Sora protesting they weren't even close to that yet as both their faces turned red. He remembered the warm, comfortable atmosphere that followed as they easily slipped back into looking through the album.

They went to his own parents' place next. Riku's mother greeted Sora warmly and commented on how tall he had gotten. His dad ruffled Sora's hair like a nephew he hadn't seen in ages, which was fair. The atmosphere wasn't as comfortable as Sora's home, but that's because Riku's parents gave an air of not knowing how to sit still in the afternoons. Their own hands are always busy. Sitting still is for the evenings when one is allowed the satisfaction of a hard day's work to settle in and allow exhaustion to take over before they get up at four am to do it all over again. But today was special, so they both answered their son's request for afternoon tea. Just like at Sora's place, they slid their photo album across a glass table and Riku's dad allowed Riku's mother to flip through its pages while he mostly watched Riku's face the entire time. "So Sora and I...we're together. That is, I mean to say, I love Sora," Riku finally said after he answered all of his mother's questions. He doesn't even remember what he said up to that point. In fact, he's not entirely convinced that he just didn't blurt it out like that word for word. He just remembers his heart racing and his head pounding the entire time and even more so after he finished speaking but then his father's voice, sharp and clear, cut through the fuzzy air in his head like a knife when he said, "That's it? Son, we already knew that! You had us take an afternoon off to tell us _that_?"

"Wait, what?" Riku remembers how he blinked in disbelief and how he felt the blood drain from his face as his dad threw his head back and let out the biggest laugh he's ever heard before he stood up with a grunt to hurry over and pull him AND Sora off the couch with his massive arms and pull them into a bone-crushing hug while groaning, "You kids!" While his mom giggled into her hand. Sora was laughing along with Riku's dad but Riku himself was so stunned he didn't know what to think!

His mother rescued them from his father's tight grip when she finally spoke, "You've always been so obvious, Riku. Your eyes can't lie."

He remembers Sora's laugh as he carefully sidestepped around the glass coffee table to hug Riku's mom who returned the embrace warmly as if they've always exchanged hugs this way.

And he remembers finally allowing himself to smile as he let out a breath he didn't realize he had been holding for what felt like his entire life. That's right, he's in love with Sora. He can say it out loud now, wherever he wants, whenever he wants.

Four years later, he's kept his unspoken word to Sora's dad and has asked for his permission to marry his son. Judging by the look on the man's face, he was pleasantly surprised that Riku actually approached him to ask and of course he and Sora's mother gave Riku their blessing. Sora's mom wanted to see the ring desperately so he gave her a little peek. It had the appearance of a simple gold band but there was a petal-shaped pattern that covered the top half of the right, which Riku insisted will be magically explained later. The two parents chuckled and said even so, it was a beautiful ring and that Sora would love it.

After that, the question was all about WHEN and WHERE.

Compared to figuring that part out, getting the ring seemed exceptionally easy in hindsight. Now keeping it from Sora was getting harder and harder by the day while he tried to figure out when to pop the question. But then by some stroke of brilliant timing, Yen Sid announced he decided that after such a long era of peace that he'd like to return his tower to its original home in the Symphony of Sorcery. Everybody was going to be there to celebrate and they were going to throw a huge party to commemorate him returning home. When Riku caught wind of the invitation he wasted no time asking Yen Sid if he wouldn't mind him organizing his proposal to Sora during this party. The Master was overjoyed for him and said nothing would make him happier. Together, along with everybody else, they orchestrated a plan.

In the days leading up to the event, Riku was a nervous wreck to say the least and found himself closing off to Sora just a smidge. If the other man noticed, he didn't let it show and he didn't pry, which he was grateful for. They both knew that if there was something that needed to be said, the other would open up eventually. But it didn't keep Sora from asking why Riku was agonizing over the outfit he was going to wear that evening.

"Riku, you look great in everything! Just pick something or we're going to be late!" the brunette huffed as he grabbed Riku's black boots with yellow laces for him. He had already dressed in black jeans, a tight black long-sleeved v-neck shirt and crimson vest with red boots and Riku had tried on his fifth outfit and was currently dressed in black jeans as well with a knit grey turtleneck sweater and black sports coat.

"I'm sorry, it's just--" he stammered, tripping over an excuse just as Sora grabbed him by the lapels of his jacket and pulled him into a kiss.

When they finally parted, both were all smiles again. "You look great," Sora whispered before kissing him one more time. "Let's go."

"Alright," Riku conceded and gave him one more kiss before taking his boots from Sora. "You all set?"

"Yeah!" Sora smiled widely. "I'll warm up the ship!"

After he was sure Sora was gone, Riku patted down his coat to make sure he had the ring box securely in his pocket before hurrying to lace up his boots, smiling to himself as he tied up the yellow laces that Sora had put on for him. Even after he was done, he sat with his hands on his knees for a moment and took a deep breath, reaching to fiddle with the pretty stone charm on the bracelet Sora made for him. Four years later and he's never gone a day without wearing it. If all goes well, there may be something else he'll get to wear. The thought made his brain go all fuzzy again, so much so that he barely heard Sora calling for him to hurry up! "Coming!" he shouted back before grabbing his keys and locking the house on the way out.

When he climbed up into the cockpit, he was a little surprised to see Sora sitting sideways in one of the passenger seats instead of the captain's chair. "What's this? Sora doesn't feel like driving?"

The brunette grinned, looking up from his gummi phone. "Nah, you're captain today. I'm texting Roxas."

If Riku wasn't nervous before, he sure as hell was now. "Oh, okay."

"Is that alright?" Sora asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Of course!" Riku assured him as he hurried to take his seat. After flipping a few switches, they took off for the Symphony of Sorcery. He expected the trip to continue in comfortable silence since Sora was busy with his phone and hoped he could use the time to calm his heart rate, but suddenly a song that sounded like it was being sung by a children's choir played loudly from Sora's phone which caused the young man next to him to erupt in a fit of giggles.

"Riku! Riku! Listen to this song!" Sora giggled and turned it up.

_I know a [weenie man](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DrZqWGcatOA)_

_He owns a weenie stand _

_He sells most anything _

_from hot dogs to on down oh baby _

_Someday I'll change his life _

_Someday I'll be his weenie wife _

_Hot dog, I love that weenie man_

Riku choked when heard the lyric "weenie wife" and thought he was going to die when Sora let it play again and sung along!

"Someday, I'll change his life, someday I'll be his weenie wife~" he giggled as he tapped his foot in the air. "This song kinda slaps!"

"The hell kind of song is that!?" Riku sputtered.

"I dunno, Roxas sent it to me!" Sora giggled. "Wanna hear it again?"

"NO! I mean...do what you want," Riku cleared his throat and turned his attention back to the skies as Sora just shrugged and continued to hum the weird song while he continued to text Roxas. _That guy is DEAD when I see him._

It was a short trip that felt like it took forever but at least Riku now had his frustration with Roxas to keep him distracted from the ever-growing swarm of butterflies plaguing his stomach. But even then, he couldn't stay too mad because it did seem like Roxas was distracting Sora well enough to keep him from asking any questions. Otherwise there was no doubt in his mind that Sora would notice the tiny bead of extra sweat on his brow or the fact that he might be breathing through his nose a little too hard. 

Before they even landed, they could see the lanterns strung about the field where everybody had gathered to watch the tower be placed back into the crater from which it had come from. It was a nice little reunion with all their friends and even Queen Minnie and Daisy had come to celebrate the occasion. There were tables with white table cloths decked out with food and drinks and soft music was playing from somewhere while everybody caught up. To be honest, Riku wasn't even taking it all in, his eyes trained on Sora as he mingled with all the others like a bee to flowers.

"You got that obvious dopey look on your face again," Roxas gently elbowed him as he snacked on a cupcake, snapping Riku out of his thoughts, or lack thereof.

"You're not going to ruin this for me," Riku huffed under his breath. "You're lucky Sora didn't figure anything out with that little stunt you pulled."

"Lighten up!" Roxas snickered. "This is Sora we're talking about. He's none the wiser." The blonde looked up to see Riku worrying his lower lip. "Relax. It's going to be great," he reassured the elder teen softly. "Just remember to breathe. You got this."

Riku let out a sigh and gave the other teen a small smile. "Thanks, Roxas."

On Riku's left, he felt King Mickey beside him and looked down to see the mouse king offering him a glass of punch. "You look thirsty! Ha-ha!" he chuckled.

"Thanks," Riku smirked as he knelt down to the king's level to accept the drink.

"You nervous?" Mickey asked quietly with a hand on Riku's knee.

"I'm terrified," the keyblade master answered bluntly.

"Aw, Riku. He loves you," the other chuckled.

"I know," Riku hissed. "But...I just want it to be perfect."

"Don't worry. Even if you do mess up, the two of you are going to be so happy that you won't even remember the bad parts...not that there will be any. It's going to be perfect. I know it will!" Mickey assured him with a gentle pat.

"Thank you, Mickey," Riku smiled. "I just...I love him so much, you know? He deserves everything."

"And so do you, Riku!" Mickey chuckled. "You deserve each other. I know you'll make each other really happy."

After that, the majority of the party was a blur. Master Yen Sid greeted everybody and made a speech thanking everybody for coming and everybody congratulated him on his homecoming. After which, the Mysterious Tower was carefully lowered into place in a brilliant display of magic by not only Master Yen Sid, but Merlin, Mickey, and Fairy Godmother as well. After another round of drinks and celebration, Master Yen Sid stood atop one of the cliffs nearby to give them a mystical demonstration of magic with a beautiful light show that practically lit up the night sky with its dazzling colors.

This was it. It was now or never. While he hated the idea of dragging Sora away from the show, Yen Sid had already given the cue. It was go time. With a gentle squeeze of Sora's hand to get his attention, he nodded towards the woods. The brunette gave him a questioning look but followed him obediently without complaint.

Together, the two young men slipped into a quiet swamp illuminated by the gentle pale glow of the full moon with a path lit by the lights of hundreds of lazily drifting fireflies. The air around them smelled sweet and the lush greenery was hung with blue moss. The two had never been here before, but somehow it felt fitting, like a new adventure in itself, just like their potential future together will no doubt be. As they ventured further, Riku hoped his hand wasn't too sweaty as he clutched Sora's in his own while they walked together in content silence, Riku no longer leading the way as the two slowed their pace to a casual stroll. They walked in peaceful silence as they both enjoyed the atmospheric sounds of the bog.

Eventually they came across a spot fairly close to the water and both their eyes were immediately drawn to a beautiful white heron slowly wading through the lagoon. Its movements cast delicate ripples across the water that caught the moonlight and made the surface shimmer beautifully. It was such a simple thing, but neither dared to move, lest they disturb the peaceful bird as they watched it traverse the water, both mesmerized with its grace and elegance. Not too much further away, Sora quietly pointed out another heron. Both stood in awe and watched as the two seemed to spot each other and began flying together in what almost looked like a slow, effortless dance. Their movements were soft and minimal as they glided around the bog together as if in a waltz. As they both watched them fly off towards the moon, Riku felt himself tearing up from the majestic display he just witnessed. That was when he realized how calm his heart felt. This was it. This was the moment.

"Sora..."

The brunette turned to look at him, his eyes shimmering with the light of the fireflies floating around his face and Riku felt his heart completely melt and his legs turn to mush. Wordlessly, he grabbed both Sora's hands and fell down to one knee, alarming Sora as he knelt into the soft ground.

"Riku? Wait, Riku, what are you--?" the brunette stammered, his voice quivering as he watched Riku kneel.

"Sora, I...I love you so much. You mean everything to me and so much more. I've always known I wanted to spend forever with you...to share my heart with you always..." Riku swallowed hard as he managed to say the words that he's been rehearsing in his head for so many weeks...maybe even years. Even if he had all the time in the world, he doesn't think he'd be able to cover everything he wanted to say, so he released one of Sora's hands to reach into his coat and pulled out the small red mahogany box. Then he released Sora's other hand to open it, revealing the small gold band while their heart song began to play from inside. He watched Sora's hands fly to his face as the other tried to contain his sobs and felt tears fall down his own cheeks. "Sora will you--"

"Yes!" Sora gasped through his hands, interrupting the question as he felt like his heart was about to burst. "Yes. Yes. A million times yes!" he sobbed and made grabby hands for Riku who immediately complied and straightened up to hold him tightly, their lips instantly smashing together in a long kiss.

When they parted, Riku couldn't even believe it. His brain short-circuited for a moment as he realized what had just happened. "Wait, so you mean--?"

"Yes, Riku!" Sora laughed.

"YESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS!!!" Riku shouted at the top of his lungs and picked Sora up by his waist and spun them both around happily.

"Riku!!" Sora laughed almost hysterically while he clung to Riku for dear life. "RIKU, WE'RE GOING TO FALL!"

"I don't care! I've already fallen so hard for you already!" Riku laughed as he set Sora down and gave him another long kiss. When they parted again, he realized he forgot one thing. "Oh, right. I should probably give you this!" he cleared his throat awkwardly as the blush rose to his cheeks.

Sora giggled, also blushing a brilliant shade of pink as he held his hand out shakily for Riku. But as he locked eyes with Riku's soft gaze, the other man knelt down again, setting the open box on the ground so the music continued to play while he pressed his lips to Sora's hand, kissing it sweetly before slipping the gold band onto his ring finger. The brunette shook harder as his heart fluttered at mach speed, the gold band feeling so warm on his finger from Riku's body heat, as if he could feel the warmth of Riku's own heart on his hand. But just as he thought Riku was going to stand back up again, he placed another kiss on the ring and it lit up brilliant with a soft golden glow. When it stopped glowing, Sora gasped to see the top of the ring decorated with brightly colored jewels where there were once indentions before.

"They look like our--!"

"That's right," Riku smiled. He had commissioned the ring to look like Sora's half of their combined keyblade.

"Riku...Riku..." Sora cried and clutched both of Riku's hands, collapsing to his knees as well. "It's beautiful. I'm so happy. You make me so happy. I love you so much. So very much."

"Sora..." Riku choked as he tried to wipe away his own tears. "I didn't think I'd cry this much," he chuckled shyly.

"There's something I want to...something I want...Hold on, just a second," Sora sniffled loudly, wiping his eyes on the back of his sleeve before he started fumbling with his necklace, much to Riku's confusion.

"Sora, what are you--?" Riku asked but then he heard a loud click from the clasp behind Sora's necklace. From behind it, his eyes widened as he watched Sora pull out a small black band with the biggest grin on his face. "Wait, is that? SORA??"

"Hehe!" Sora grinned giddily as he grabbed Riku's hand. "Didn't think I could keep a secret from you, did ya?" He was clearly very proud of himself as he slipped the band onto Riku's finger and gave his hand a kiss as well, the band lighting up just like Sora's did only to reveal a different set of colored jewels, just like Riku's half of their combined keyblade.

"Sora..." Riku swallowed hard as he tried not to cry again. "It's perfect!"

"I know, right?" Sora grinned as he took both Riku's hands and pulled him toward himself for another kiss. "Did we both go to the same person?"

"We have really good friends," Riku grinned, finally standing and pulling Sora up with him. "I think I topped you, though," he grinned as he handed Sora the box.

"Always trying to one-up me," Sora snickered as he accepted the small box. "It's so pretty," he smiled softly as he ran his fingers over the warm wood of the small music box. "Not as pretty as you, though," he grinned as he grabbed Riku's hand and slipped the box safely into his pocket.

Riku blushed furiously and pinched Sora's cheek. "Call me pretty one more time!"

"My pretty prince!" Sora cheered happily, even as his cheek was getting pulled. Before Riku could even threaten him again, they both heard quiet whooshing above them and looked up to see the sky lit up with shooting stars! "Wow!" the brunette gasped as Riku released his face.

Riku smiled broadly and squeezed Sora's hand. "Our friends are waiting for us. Let's go."

Sora smiled back widely and nodded as he squeezed his hand back. "Yeah. Together!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm happy to announce that there will be a sequel! I'll be linking it in the end notes of the next chapter. It will be attached to this one in a works page as well. ^O^


	62. Bonus: Deleted Scenes + Extra Content

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Here it is! All the juicy extra bonus content I've promised along with some concept art. ^o^

AFTER CREDITS REEL, AKA crack chapter  
1\. Spiderman scene (Shooting Crystal from wrist at Destiny Islands)  
Sora: Riku won't let me have any fun. Pew pew pew! *crystal shoots into the ocean*  
Riku: Great, now it's in the ocean, you've doomed us all.  
Sora: We can find it.  
Riku: The ocean's turning black.  
Sora: Anybody got a net?  
Riku: *calling Kairi* Yeah, can you bless an entire ocean? ...You might need to try.  
Sora: Maybe it'll just wear off.  
Riku: The fish are turning into heartless.  
Sora: Probably just a few.  
Riku: You've potentially destroyed an entire eco-system.  
Sora: *watches all the dead fish float to the top of the water* Wonder if they're still edible?  
Riku: We're doomed.

2\. Pirate Song  
Sora: Yo ho, yo-ho, a pirate's life for me!  
Riku: We still have supplies to get.  
Sora: Drink up, me hearties, yo-ho!  
Riku: We still can't drink yet.  
Sora: Then we'll skip that part!  
Riku: So....we're going to plunder, rifle, and loot?  
Sora: We'll skip that too!  
Riku: Okay, so we're going to kidnap and ravage and not give a hoot?  
Sora: You're ruining the fun, Riku!  
(OMG THAT RHYMES)  
Riku: ...  
Sora: ...  
Riku: Yo ho, yo ho, a pirate's life for me!  
Sora: ^O^

3\. Riku as a snow leopard (it's too hot in the Pride Lands)  
Riku: It's too hot. What did you do?  
Sora: I didn't do anything!  
Riku: Call Donald.  
Sora: I can't! I don't have thumbs!  
Riku: I'm going to die.  
Sora: It'll be okay!  
Riku: I don't like it here! I'm heading back to the ship.  
Sora: I have fur, too! Come on, Riku! What's so different about a snow leopard anyway?  
Riku: I am. A. Snow. Leopard. Does any of this look like snow to you?  
Sora: You'll be fine!  
Riku: *dying*  
Sora: RIKU! STAY WITH ME! *CASTS BLIZZAGA*  
Riku: *REVIVED but also frost-bitten* Thanks. Now I'm going back to the ship and I'm leaving you here.

4\. Conversation between Riku and the Cheshire Cat  
Riku: I don't have time for this!  
Cheshire Cat: Nobody ever has time, and yet it's all we have.  
Riku: Have you seen any suspicious people around?  
Cheshire Cat: Perhaps. Then again perhaps not. Aren't all people worthy of suspicion?  
Riku: Can you point me to somebody who doesn't speak in riddles?  
Cheshire Cat: If you go that way, it's the wrong way. But there are no right ways about it.  
Riku: WHAT!?  
Cheshire Cat: What indeed? A what in deed is a what in action.  
Riku: Okay, I'm done here.  
Cheshire Cat: Cheshire Cat is what they call _me_.  
Riku: I don't care. Good-bye!

5\. Riku's a shark  
Sora: Riku! You're a shark!  
Riku: *looks down at self* Yeah, I guess so.  
Sora: You look so fierce!  
Riku: And you're...a dolphin?  
Sora: Yup! We should have a race!  
Riku: Alright, you're on.  
Ariel: READY, SET, GO!  
Sora: *ZIPS TO THE FINISH LINE*  
Riku: *NOT VERY SPEEDY AT ALL, ONLY SHORT BURSTS*  
Ariel: *concerned* You were able to keep up with me before!  
Riku: Yeah, but Sora was also hurt so I was really booking it.  
Sora: Awww, Riku~  
Riku: But still, this doesn't count.  
Sora: YES, IT DOES!  
Riku: Body modifications shouldn't count!  
Sora: THEY DO AND THEY WILL!

6\. Kingstagram posts (To Be Expanded Upon In the Sequel!)

Roxas commentary!

Description of picture, comments on bottom

7\. Riku's text convos with kairi

Kairi: Progress?  
Riku: A crystal came out of his butt.  
Kairi: His butt? O.O  
Riku: His butt. :\  
Kairi: Where on his butt?  
Riku: [Attachment]  
Kairi: Ouch.  
Sora joins the group chat.  
Sora: Riku, you better not be showing her the picture of my butt.  
Riku: You can barely see it.  
Sora: RIKU!!!!!  
Kairi: What's a little cheek between friends?  
Sora: OMG I HATE BOTH OF YOU

8\. Riku recounting time with Hercules

Riku looking at himself in the mirror, not used to getting help, Hercules giving Riku a pep talk for his first date.

9\. Land of Departure if they hadn't used a towel over the pillow, being so embarrassed they try to smuggle the pillow in Sora's pant pocket

Sora: Riku! I don't think it's going to fit!  
Riku: Just push harder!  
Ven: *walking by* Teh fuck?  
Sora: Let's put it in yours instead!  
Ven: *puts ear to door* O.O?  
Riku: It's already halfway in. Don't be such a baby!

10\. Sora returning Kairi's lucky charm, busted with blood on it. (Based on a scene in Rurouni Kenshin where Kenshin returns Kaoru's favorite ribbon but it's covered in blood and she's none too pleased)

11\. Sora and the Sortas having a convo

Sora: *staring starry-eyed at Riku* We're parents!  
Riku: *shoves* Stop.  
Sora: I'm a dad! You're a dad!! WE'RE DADS!!!  
Riku: What will our parents say!? How scandalous...  
Sora: I'll tell them....*cups cheeks* You were gentle.  
Riku: *doesn't think this is funny anymore* You can't tell them that! I DIDN'T DO ANYTHING!  
Sora: Oh like they're going to believe immaculate conception?  
Riku: They're teenagers! The same age as us! IT'S NOT LIKE THEY WERE CONCEIVED NORMALLY!!  
Sora: That's not their fault! Accept responsibility! ;~;  
Riku: I only claim Xion. She actually likes me.  
Xion: 'v'?  
Roxas: Good, I'm glad I don't have any part of you in me!  
Riku: You sure about that?  
Roxas: FUCK YOU!

12\. Nocturnal Emmissions

Whenever the others did anything with Sora while he was asleep, they talked to him like he was awake. Maybe it was to make themselves feel better. Maybe it was just in case Sora could hear them. But Roxas couldn't bring himself to do it.

The only time he was even really alone with Sora was during bath time, which felt even more awkward of a time to have a "conversation". Before he actually puts Sora in the bath, there was a special chair he lifted Sora into and that's where he would strip his bandages and clean him off. He'd wince in sympathy as he gently sponged at blood-caked wounds that haven't closed up yet, maybe even apologize out of reflex if he accidently got shampoo on Sora's face, but he couldn't bring himself to talk to him. Instead he did a lot of thinking to help his mind distance itself from the task he was currently performing. He was happy to do this for Sora, but he felt guilty...about many things.

Somehow it just didn't seem fair for the teen whose body he was born from to be flayed almost beyond recognition while he got to stand there with a brand new and completely unflawed form. The more he thought about the circumstances of his birth, the more he also realized that Sora must be the loneliest he's ever been in his entire life. This is the first time he's been the only occupant of his own heart since he was a small child. Now here he is in a forced sleep with only Riku to keep him company every other day for a few hours every night, and Roxas can't even bring himself to talk to him.

It really made him feel like shit.

Even so, he still couldn't figure out what he should say or talk about. Even when he was a part of Sora, they didn't communicate very often with words. It was just...

_"Can you feel Sora?"_

That's what it was...just...feeling.

He's seen Sora's body react to touch before. With bathing, it was inevitable, but the awkward situation never lingered for too long. But he began to wonder if his body was naturally reacting or if Sora did feel anything. If he was, maybe he should put in effort there, as in communicate in his own way.

So when he decided to start holding Sora's hand while he massaged muscles to keep him from getting bedsores, it was hard to contain his joy when he felt Sora's hand squeeze back. He tried not to get too excited. After all, it could've been a reflex but it also could've been a bad thing, like his sleep spell could've been wearing off. But there was no denying how warm it made his heart feel and how it ached to show Sora the same warmth in return, anything to tell him "I'm here. You're not alone."

"Can you feel me, Sora?" he whispered as he draped his arms around the sleeping teen's shoulders in a loose hug.

After that, safety precautions be damned, Roxas had his own way of doing things.

He wasn't sure how Riku conducted the actual bathtime routine. But even if he told Roxas, he knew he probably wouldn't have listened to the older teen. Riku had a few more advantages than he did, including size, so anything he said would've been invalidated in Roxas's eyes. Lifting Sora into the bath wasn't the hard part. No, the hard part was leaning over him, making sure he was okay, and then lifting him out without getting himself drenched. After the first sloppy mishap, it was very clear to him that he had to join Sora in the tub.

It probably should've been obvious from the start. But he tried not to beat himself up about it. They were all learning as they went, but when it came to bath time, Sora's care was left to Roxas and Riku and they weren't on the best terms even now, so it wasn't like they were exchanging notes. It wasn't that he felt weird about it, either. After all, the organization had a shared bathhouse and showers. But if he just put Sora in by himself, his limbs floated to the top of the bath and it didn't look very comfortable for him. So Roxas would sit Sora in first and then climb in after him and pull Sora on top of himself, Sora's head resting against his shoulder, and hold his hands in his own as he wrapped his arms around him so Sora could at least feel like he was lounging properly.

The bath was deep enough for the both of them lie comfortably and it was curved just right for lounging with a padded head rest, which Roxas was extremely thankful for because otherwise he doubted there'd be any other way for this to feel comfortable for either of them. When he wasn't just lying with Sora in the tub, he also sat up with him in his lap and continued the gentle massages around his back and inspected for any problem areas that Kairi might want for her reports. He had to be very gentle, though. They learned recently when he woke up that he was still in a lot of pain even though they were sure his broken bones were already healed. Maybe newly healed bones are just sensitive, he wondered. Not to mention, he had to be careful not to pull the skin and reopen any wounds that were still healing. Even as gentle as he was, performing the ministrations were exhausting so he learned to enjoy the soak along with Sora when all was said and done and the two would lie together for as long as the bath temperature would allow. Sure, he could use the electronic controls to up the heat, but he surmised that if he took any longer than an hour that the others might grow concerned. Thus this became their routine.

Then one day, just when Roxas felt like he was about to doze with Sora in his arms in the bath, he heard an usual change in Sora's breathing. His eyes widened as he felt the brunette panting softly against his ear, his spine stiffening as he realized how warm Sora's face had become as his cheek rested against his own. He dared to glance down and noticed something of Sora's was awake even if the rest of him wasn't. Roxas felt his own face grow hot. This wasn't the first time he's seen Sora stir down there, but nothing like this. He quickly began to wonder if it was something that he did, but then he remembered what Axel and Isa told him when he had his own questions about his body.

"Nocturnal Emissions," the Isa said bluntly as he sipped at his coffee.

"What?"

"They're also known as wet dreams," Axel explained, though he wasn't looking directly at him, which told Roxas that this was apparently one of those subjects of a delicate manner.

"They're perfectly normal for a boy your age to have," Isa assured him.

"Oh." He had come to them after waking up too many times with wet pajamas and feeling feverish, wondering if he was sick or if his new body was degrading or something. He had a basic understanding of the "birds and the bees" but in his very limited timeframe of existence, that sort of information was never really high on his priority list of learning. So just like everything else, it was all very learn-as-you-go and it quickly became apparent that conversations like this were not something you should do over breakfast. At least the two older males in his life were forthcoming in their answers, even if Axel seemed a little embarrassed. He knew he could always count on Isa to be the pragmatic one.

_So Sora must be..._

Roxas let out a sigh as he tried to push down his embarrassment, only to gasp and bite his lip sheepishly when Sora quivered from the exhalation of warm breath on his neck. "Sorry," he whispered in a tiny voice. The blonde wasn't sure what to do as he felt Sora quake in his arms. The brunette was in a forced sleep which was entirely different from a normal sleep where he might be able to perform other involuntary movements if necessary. Though Roxas has had his own night time stirrings, he never remembers what the dreams are about or if he's done anything at all, just that he wakes up sticky. Looking at Sora's face now, he looked like he was struggling, his mouth opened in an almost pained expression with eyebrows slightly furrowed while his cheeks were dusted with a light pink.

"Unhhhh..." Sora then moaned.

_Oh no!_ Roxas closed his eyes. If Sora was really having a moment, he didn't want to stare. For the brunette's sake, he was kind of glad that at least this was happening in the tub with him and not in bed where Kairi or the others might've seen. So really this could be seen as a blessing in disguise. From what Isa told him, depending on the person and their age, it could happen about once a month if they don't find release by other means. So if this is happening now, then it might not happen again for a while. With that in mind, Roxas breathed another sigh of relief because maybe he won't have to tell anybody that this was happening. If Sora wakes up soon, this shouldn't be a problem. This will just be something that stays between them.

_But how long are these things supposed to last?_

Roxas dared to open his eyes and look at the sleeping figure in arms. Sora still seemed to be struggling, panting softly as beads of sweat began forming on his brow. His body felt very warm in the former nobody's arms and he swore he could feel the barest twitch of Sora's hips between his legs. Suddenly Sora let out a soft, needy whine and Roxas felt his heart clench. He looked so pathetic, so vulnerable, so...desperate. If Sora were to ask him for help, he would have. He'd do anything for him. But Sora can't consent to anything. Even if Roxas wanted to help, to touch him like that would be way different than helping him bathe. He knew that for sure.

"I'm sorry, Sora..." he whispered into Sora's ear as he clenched his eyes closed.

He could only hold him. To let Sora know he was safe. So he did.

With fingers interlaced around Sora's, arms wrapped snugly around his scarred and bruised body as his lower half rested between his legs, Roxas listened to Sora's soft and heavy breathing as they laid together in the bath. "I'm here, Sora," he whispered, earning another quiet cry from the brunette. "Can you feel me? It's okay. You're safe. It's just me."

"Ah...ah...ah...ah..."

Roxas couldn't help nuzzling his face into Sora's slightly damp hair affectionately. He could feel untold trust and warmth in his heart and something fluttery but something else on top of that...gratitude, maybe? It made him feel so happy that hot tears began to sting the corners of his tightly-closed eyes. Nothing he could ever do would be enough to thank Sora for what he had done for him and his friends. To be here for him, the one who gave him life and restored it, even in a situation like this, felt like a gift. So much trust and affection, a bond shared just between the two of them. Sora had many friends, many relationships, but this bond, a bond between a somebody and nobody...it's different. It's special. It felt good. He cherished it. He did his best to convey these emotions with his own heart in the hopes that somehow Sora would be able to feel it. Sora gasped and Roxas squeezed his hands, feeling his calloused fingers flex and twitch between his. He could feel it, hear it, Sora was close. "Sora..." Roxas whispered softly while delicately nuzzling his nose against the fine, whispy hairs behind Sora's ear.

Sora's body trembled and let out a long breath combined with a soft moan before finally stilling in Roxas's arms. The evidence of his release floated to the top of the water while he panted until he was breathing normally through his nose again. Once he seemed to have calmed, Roxas let out a breath he didn't realize he had been holding and loosened his grip on Sora while quietly chuckling in an effort to make his own blush subside. He tried to imagine what Sora would look like if he were awake right now. Embarrassed, probably blushing, maybe smiling. He could only smile at the thought and reached up with a wet hand to gently wipe away the sweat on his brow. "Nice one," he snickered before straightening up and adjusting their positions so he could properly lift Sora out of the now-contaminated tub.

Once they were out, he set Sora back into the chair and sprayed him once last time with the shower hose, the quick spritz of cold water making Sora's body jump, earning a small laugh from Roxas. "Well, I'm sorry, but you got dirty again!"

After which, he dried Sora again properly, wrapping him in a fresh warm towel while he cleaned the bathtub so it'd be ready for next time. Then he took a blowdryer and dried his hair properly. "Next time, you're getting a mohawk," he snickered. "Axel's bought these fizzy bath tablets that put bubbles in the water. Maybe I'll grab one for you and we can try it out next time." Just to be sure Sora was properly dry, Roxas even ran the blowdryer on its low setting everywhere else, just enough to remove any moisture that might be problematic later and to also help Sora feel warm and comfy before he had to lift him into the cold wheelchair where Roxas bandaged him before dressing him up again. "If I'm not as ripped as Riku by the time you wake up, I'm going to upset," the blonde chuckled.

13\. Convos With Roxas

Roxas: So...3 people having sex is a threesome?  
Riku: Right.  
Roxas: And four is a foursome?  
Riku: Correct.  
Roxas: I think I get it now. Is that why everybody calls you handsome?  
Sora: *walking by* No, he's the pretty one. I'M the handsome one!  
Riku: Sora, that's not--  
Roxas: *LAUGHS FOREVER*

14\. Namine's POV final battle (To Be Expanded on in the Sequel)

15\. STRAWBERRIES (To Be Expanded on in the Sequel)

16\. The Riku Problem

"Keep staring at your phone like that for too long and you'll go blind," Axel commented.

"Huh? Wait, is that true?" Roxas sputtered as he quickly set his phone down and scrambled to get back to his homework.

The redhead chuckled and set down a mug of hot chocolate next to Roxas. It was already getting late and the others were in bed. The former Organization member was just about to get something warm to drink when he noticed Roxas staring at his phone with a crimson blush over his cheeks for a fair amount of time. He didn't want to pry, but Roxas looked distressed, even if he had been blushing so he wondered if this might be one of those moments where a little conversation would be in order. Anything to help him clear whatever distractions were keeping him from finishing his homework. He was struggling with school as it was. "No, it's an expression," the redhead chuckled. "I'll explain the nuance to you when you're older. You okay, though? You were staring at that picture of Riku on Sora's kingstragram for a while."

"Was not!!" the blonde burst out angrily and shoved the phone further across the table as if disgusted by the accusation. "You don't know what you're talking about."

"Roxas," Axel started gently. "I've been in this room twice and you didn't even notice me. I caught a glance of what you were looking at. Is there something...?"

"No! No...that's not...it's not what you think," Roxas's face grew redder as he stared down at his book.

"I'm listening. If you want," the redhead offered as he nudged the warm mug of hot chocolate towards Roxas.

The blonde let out a long sigh and finally accepted the warm mug. His stare was far away as he took a long and careful sip. He wanted to choose his words very carefully as he felt Axel's kind green eyes on him. "It's...Sora's fault," he answered quietly as he put a hand over his heart, hoping that answer would suffice.

It took a couple of seconds for Axel to understand what he was trying to say and when it hit him, he straightened in his chair with realization. "Wait, Roxas...You're telling me you're feeling Sora's--?"

"Not all the time," Roxas quickly answered. "Just seems to happen whenever I don't have anything to distract me and it catches me off guard. It makes me angry, too. I don't hate Riku, but..."

"It sounds really confusing," Axel sympathized. "And you're sure it's Sora's fault?"

"Definitely," the blonde frowned as he took another long sip. "It's almost the same as when I felt his pain."

"Roxas...if that's the case...that sounds like it can be incredibly distracting. If your connection to Sora is causing you distress, maybe we should ask Yen Sid to train you on how to tune him out better?" Axel quietly suggested.

"N-NO!" Roxas protested almost too loudly, his face now beet red as he finally looked at Axel directly. "No! No...it's not...It's not that bad. Really. It really isn't." He suddenly felt embarrassed and chose to stare back into his quickly emptying mug. "It's...nice. Before, I sensed a lot of Sora's pain. It's nice to feel how happy he is every now and then," he smiled softly.

Axel smiled warmly and leaned back into his seat. "If you're sure."

"Yeah," Roxas said in a voice barely above a whisper as he nodded. "I just look at my phone to see what he's so happy about. I get curious. Usually the timing aligns with the photos he posts on kingstagram and it's usually Riku," he groaned and set the mug down to bury his face in his arms as he felt the blush coming on again. "Such a pain!!" he groaned.

Axel chortled as he heard Roxas's muffled groans. For once he was at a loss for words. He was seriously worried that Roxas had developed a crush on Riku and had become tormented and lovesick over his Somebody's significant other, which is a terrible can of worms in itself, but he thought he was prepared to help talk Roxas through it. This, however, he had definitely not expected. In fact, he STILL wasn't entirely sure it's 100% Sora's fault. He eyed the teen with a suspicious smirk but said nothing, just sipped his hot chocolate while he waited for Roxas to continue.

"But I'm not worried," Roxas continued as he lifted his head just enough for Axel to see the blush still on the bridge of his nose. "Sora's emotions are becoming more stable and I don't feel them as intensely as I used to. I'm happy that Riku makes him happy. That's more than enough."

Concept Art

Wedding Rings

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> THERE IS A SEQUEL! I hope you'll check it out! <3 The prologue is already posted!
> 
> Thank you so much for all the love and support you've given this fic. I hope you'll enjoy what I have planned coming soon. <3


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